Before we share the morning’s marketing news, a note from our managing editor, Chris Ariens:
On January 6, 1838, Samuel Morse’s telegraph system was demonstrated for the first time in Morristown, New Jersey.
Exactly 183 years later, the heirs of that first electronic communication device conveyed one of the most disheartening days in American history.
As a joint session of Congress gathered to ceremonially count the 2020 electoral votes Wednesday, supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump broke into the U.S. Capitol. The members of Congress, and the press who cover them, fled to an undisclosed location.
In the hours that followed, broadcast and cable news continued live breaking news coverage. Social media platforms lit up with condemnation. TV, radio, digital and social journalists covered the hours-long standoff from inside, outside, by phone, by Tweet, wherever a strong signal existed. TVNewser senior editor A.J. Katz continues to document the TV news coverage.
President-elect Biden called for calm in a speech live from Delaware. Pres. Trump recorded a message that Facebook, Twitter and YouTube later removed. “We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence,” said Facebook VP of integrity, Guy Rosen. Adweek’s Scott Nover last night reported on what could be Twitter’s final warning to the outgoing president.
And the world watched it all.
“Pro-Trump mob storms Capital building,” blared The Washington Post; “US Capitol on lockdown as pro-Trump mob breaks up debate,” was the Financial Times headline; “A Siege: Trump Rioters Storm US Capital,” is how the Sydney Morning Herald put it.
By 6 p.m. the Capitol building was secure. By 8 p.m. Congress had reconvened. By 4 a.m. the vote count concluded confirming Biden's win and telegraphed for all to see.
