(Tennessean) – The Tennessean is investigating how a paid advertisement from a fringe religious group was published on Sunday in violation of the newspaper’s long-established standards. The ad featured a bizarre, pseudo-religious “prophecy,” including the declaration of an impending nuclear attack in Nashville by “Islam.”
The ad was immediately ordered to be pulled from future editions by sales executives and the investigation launched. A similar ad, one that did not mention Islam but also contained an end-times prophecy, published in the newspaper on June 17.
The newspaper’s advertising standards clearly forbid hate speech. Advertisements that do not meet the paper’s standards are routinely rejected for publication. Kevin Gentzel, President of Marketing Solutions and Chief Revenue Officer for Gannett, the parent company of The Tennessean, forcefully repudiated the advertisement in a tweet on Sunday.
“Two ads ran this week in the Tennessean that clearly violates our advertising standards,” Gentzel wrote. “We strongly condemn the message and apologize to our readers. We are immediately investigating to determine how this could have happened.” The Tennessean’s local sales leader also issued an apology. READ MORE
