The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

Charleston

Charleston local paper comes under fire for running insensitive gun shop ad after shooting

Author

By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

June 19, 2015 | 2 min read

A local newspaper in Charleston has apologised after it published a gun shop promotion next to the news of the tragic church shooting which claimed nine casualties.

The Post and Courier ran its daily print edition with a pull out flyer offering a “ladies Night” discount at a nearby gun range, according to the Independent.

The $30 voucher was redeemable at the local ATP Gun Shop, where visitors are given a pistol, 50 rounds of ammunition, and some instruction, just miles away from the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church where a lone gunman opened fire on the congregation.

In addition to the poor timing of the promotion, the flyer was located above the publication’s coverage of the shooting, running with the headline: “Church attack kills 9, manhunt on for suspect after ‘hate crime’ shooting at Emanuel AME.”

After a considerable social media backlash, the Post issued an apology: “The placement of a sticky note ad on the front page of some home delivery newspapers on Thursday was a deeply regrettable coincidence, we apologise.”

The Post and Courier is over 210 years old and is widely thought to be one of the oldest newspapers in the US South.

Charleston

More from Charleston

View all

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +