The timeline below tracks the seconds of daily airtime in which the phrase "ask your doctor" is visible in the onscreen text of CNN, MSNBC and Fox News since the start of 2020. This phrase typically appears at the end of drug and medical device commercials for a second or two, allowing us to track at least a portion of television medical advertising and how it changed over the course of the pandemic. It is important to note that this is just one of many phrases used by medical commercials and other commercials may use other disclaimers that were not as affected, but this particular phrase shows a strong alignment with the pandemic.
The phrase fades sharply in April as lockdowns become long-term, though makes a reappearance after the George Floyd protests shifted television news coverage away from the pandemic, showing the pandemic's impact on medical advertising as most non-essential medical procedures were delayed by overtaxed hospitals.
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