We The People Foundation was contacted by USA TODAY advertising representative Katie Emory late Wednesday afternoon, April 11, 2001, to inform Bob Schulz that USA TODAY will not accept more advertising from the Foundation.
When asked why, Ms. Emery said their legal department had decided they should not run ads that promote illegal activities and that the ads have been classified as "offensive." As an example, Ms. Emery relayed an example of another offending USA TODAY advertiser, an unnamed "dot-com" that ran an ad featuring a photograph of a three-headed baby. USA TODAY was asked to formally advise the Foundation in writing concerning their decision.
On Thursday morning, Bob Schulz telephoned Ms. Emery. The call was transferred to the office of Joanna Cebonte, VP of USA TODAY advertising, who put the call on her speakerphone. Ms. Emery was in her office. When questioned about he basis for the decision, Cebonte and Emery resisted detailing what specific aspects of the ads were found "offensive" by the USA TODAY legal staff. When pushed further, Cebonte backed off Wednesday's ban on the Foundation, saying USA TODAY was not rejecting "all" advertising from We The People, just ads like those already run for We The People. Schulz pressed futher. He told Cebonte that no one in government, in academia, or in the research community has refuted anything We The People has said in the four USA TODAY ads, that USA TODAY's legal staff is the only voice that has questioned the accuracy of the content of the We The People ads. Cebonte said that the publisher, as the owner of USA TODAY, a private newspaper, was free to accept or reject any ad. Schulz said that nonetheless he needed to know the specifics because the reputation, integrity and credibility of We The People were at stake. Schulz respectfully requested of Cebonte that she provide him with the specifics -- just what did the ads say that is incorrect and offensive. Cebonte finally admitted that she did not know the specifics. She said she would have the legal department get in touch with Schulz next week.
Katie Emery explained to us that it is their policy to notify any advertiser of complaints by readers. Prior to this, USA TODAY has only notified the Foundation of only a single (and unidentified) complaint from the general public that took USA TODAY to task for running the tax education ads.
http://www.givemeliberty.org/features/taxes/nomoreads.htm
