The Guardian’s ‘US-push’ creative plays on censorship fears

In a cheeky jab at America's ‘censored’ news landscape, The Guardian’s push into the US market makes use of redacted type while calling back to its past campaigns.

The Guardian’s first major US ad campaign ‘The Whole Picture’ features a stark black-and-white billboard in the heart of Times Square emblazoned with the headline: "News in the United States can't publish the whole picture."

Below it, a heavily censored block of text, mimicking redacted government documents, teases fragmented phrases like "the full story," "hidden facts," and "global perspective."

There’s an interactive element to the displays too, and passersby are encouraged to approach and physically tear away the tape, revealing The Guardian's tagline: "Journalism that's global, independent and free."

The ad series echoes its 1980s campaign, which focused on the importance of the ‘lens’ of journalism in revealing a full picture.

Getting lucky

Developed with London creative agency Lucky Generals, the activation is designed to draw crowds and spark social media buzz, turning a static ad into a participatory protest against perceived media constraints in the US.

The billboard is the centrepiece of a four-week, multi-platform campaign rolling out across New York City subways, Manhattan billboards, and major US podcasts. It coincides with The Guardian's aggressive expansion plans, fuelled by a record revenue year in 2024 driven largely by reader donations and subscriptions.

The UK-based outlet, known for its investigative journalism and liberal voice, is hiring dozens of journalists in the US, especially in New York and Washington DC. Upcoming initiatives include the launch of its first US-specific podcasts, a shopping site modelled after its UK ‘The Filter’ ethical recommendations, and ramped-up soccer coverage ahead of the 2026 World Cup hosted in North America.

Well-timed?

With trust in US journalism at historic lows amid political polarisation and regulatory pressures on outlets, the stunt echoes recent controversies over redacted documents, such as the heavily censored Epstein files released earlier this year by a Republican-led House committee, which drew widespread mockery for revealing… not a lot to be honest.

Our take

We think this campaign is __________________.

Sorry, we couldn’t resist.

In truth, the campaign is fairly derivative of several censorship campaigns, including The Erased (Free Press Unlimited, 2023–2024), which used a custom-designed font that "erases" specific words on participating news websites, symbolising the silencing of 320+ imprisoned journalists worldwide in 2023.

It’s also been done in various guises by the EFF, including in this Online Censorship campaign:

However, we still really like The Guardian’s effort.

The diverse use of subverted advertising medium, its incredible fonts (print geek here), distinctive Pantone colours, and the quality of the copy throughout are visually classy, just the right amount of edgy, and set out the media company’s intentions in unmistakable style.