Posted on 04/16/2005 7:02:58 AM PDT by bourbon
An advertisement that ran in today’s print edition of The Daily Mississippian contained a racist message.
The ad (pictured at left) was paid for by the New Century Group and promotes American Renaissance, a monthly magazine launched in 1991 that espouses incendiary views about immigration and race relations.
The Daily Mississippian advertising staff will include a retraction and apology for the advertisement in Monday’s edition of the paper.
Melanie Wadkins, advertising manager for the S. Gale Denley Student Media Center, said American Renaissance will be refunded the $220.50 paid for the three-column, 10 inch ad.
Wadkins, who is the staff adviser for the SMC advertising staff, said she does not make decisions concerning advertising content. That responsibility lies with the student employees.
“Everything submitted to the paper is supposed to be looked at by the student staff,” Wadkins said. “In this case, it wasn’t.
“After the ad came in by e-mail, no student on staff raised a question or concern in the course of producing it. I generally refer questionable ads to the editor for approval. This was not brought to my attention at all,” Wadkins said. “It was an honest mistake; it certainly was not intentional.”
Advertising representative Ronald Odom, a senior journalism major from Bartlett, Tenn., was contacted via telephone Wednesday by a representative of the Oakland, Va.-based American Renaissance.
Although the policy is for advertising representatives to proof the ads they sell, Odom said he did not see the ad before it ran today.
“With pre-made ads, there’s really not a lot of proofing because the customer sends it the way they want it,” Odom said. “It just kind of snuck through the cracks between advertising, creative services, editorial and into the paper. I’m sure if someone had read it, it would have definitely been taken care of ahead of time.”
The Daily Mississippian Editor, Emery Carrington, said the advertising staff has consulted with her in the past regarding potentially inflammatory ads, but she was not contacted in this case.
“Editorial and advertising are separate entities; the editorial staff does not like being tied up with the money-making aspect of the newspaper because we want to keep our news and other stories free of bias,” Carrington said. “We do not like the intermixing of advertising and editorial departments of the newspaper and keep them separate as possible.
“This ad’s message was completely unacceptable and is something that The Daily Mississippian staff does not condone, believe in or support,” Carrington said. “During the final process of sending the paper to press, I did not read the ad. I do not usually read ad copy when I’m putting the newspaper to bed.
“At the same time, I’m disappointed that I didn’t read over this because it is unacceptable content that the public will understandably take as offensive and assume that it was approved by us.”
Carrington said The Daily Mississippian staff does not agree with the message contained in the ad.
“We have repeatedly spoken out against hate and racism in this newspaper,” Carrington said.
“I think this university has come a long way and has become intolerant of messages such as those that American Renaissance spreads. The university, the newspaper and the administration do not condone it. I hope the readers will understand that this message would have never appeared in our newspaper under normal circumstances.”
Odom also said the advertisement does not reflect his attitudes or those of his colleagues.
“The staff at The Daily Mississippian is a very diverse group, and we have grown to be a family," Odom said. "This ad does not reflect the relationships we share with each other as a diverse group of students."
Wadkins said she agreed.
“I’m very disappointed, and I’m sorry that it ran because it’s extremely inflammatory and it doesn’t reflect the views of anyone who works here,” Wadkins said. “The ad and its message offend me greatly.”
Odom spoke against the message contained in the ad.
“Being an African American student at the university who appreciates the progress we have made from our past, I am offended that this organization would place an ad in our paper to influence the thoughts of our community and try to undo the advancements we have made in race relations,” Odom said.
“Different racial groups are not the cause of friction. The cause of friction in the community are people who call themselves Americans but truly do not agree with our constitution in regards to freedom and the laws about immigration. The U.S. did not become the strongest country in the world by adopting closed-minded views.”
I looked for something on that and couldn't
find it. I am so glad I have you to keep me
in line. :>)
No thanks. I think I'll pass!
Whatever, troll.
btw, I really enjoyed your work on Fear of a Black Planet.
You know it's kinda funny we can have a black congressional caucus, NAACP, MALDEF, LA RAZA etc., but it is considered racist for whites to be proud of the fact that they are white. How do you rationalize that?
It was pretty hard to find that old article. I had to get creative. :-)
This can be discussed further but to do so risks getting posts pulled and accounts suspended.
Instead it is better to let thoughts boil under the surface, free from debate, until events explode. Just keep repeating the conventional wisdom that every success that has visited those of northern european ethnicity has been borne from the blood and sweat of non-white "minorities" (who make up something like 80% of the world's population).
Every famous white person of history needs to be taught with a disclaimer added such as, "...so-and-so may have accomplished extraordinary things but he was a slave owner!"
Debate is not allowed. Celebration of our history is racist. Diversity is always a positive occurance (just look at the history of the Balkans). To think otherwise makes you a Nazi.
There's nothing rational about the groups you listed.
BTW, I don't know what Americans who are black or white have to be proud of beyond the fact that they're AMERICANS. Were it sufficient for people to be just Americans this country would be better off.
Wow, the ad ran, yet American Renaissance got their money back. What a deal!
I agree as well. I don't think it does anything more than ask a question. Perhaps the problem is that the answer is so obvious it upsets some people's "sensibilities."
I don't find the ad racist.
It's simply the truth baring some unforeseen events.
I just read an interesting article in the Oxford American (how odd right?) about immigration.
They of course are all smiley liberal about how we will all be brown soon enough and since they are self hating whites, they like that idea but here's some facts:
The 4 main states to get the bulk of the Mexican wave since 1990 are not Kali, Tex, or AZ but rather AR, GA, TN, and NC and it is the largest migratory wave into those areas since they were first settled.
I just wonder why it's not racist to applaud the diminishment of the evil "white" gene pool but it is racist to wonder if that's a good thing.
I can also tell the editors at the Mississippian that your average white or black or non-Mexican Hispanic immigrant wonders as well whther the US becoming essentially Nothern Mexico is a good thing. I would even bet that legal Mexicans understand the value of brakes.
But...I won't live to see it. I spent the bulk of my adult life in the third world. I'd like to keep that world there.
Hispanic is NOT a race for Chrissakes and mixed ethnicity and mixed race is not the same.
And in case anyone missed this little fact.
It's not about group physical characteristics.
It's about culture and assimilation.
Now...how culture is formed by specific shared physical characteristic groups can be argued until whites are a minority here and still no one will have a clear answer.
Nothing.
Guess you're not Southern?
;>)
Has Byram escaped the death grip so far?
Who is responsible for allowing the massive influx of Mexican illegals? Not the average 'non white' legal immigrant that's for sure. It's the fault of the US government run mostly by white people, and now that conservatives are in charge is anything changing? No. Bill Frist just committed political harikari but he's not the only one.
Probably not!
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