“LNP president issues apology for phone number in advertisement” is a headline article on the Local Section. It continues:
“An advertisement in the Saturday, April 21, Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era contained an 800 telephone number that directed callers to a distasteful message.
“Harold E. Miller Jr., president and CEO of Lancaster Newspapers Inc., stated:
“’While the advertisement was provided to us by a longstanding and reputable agency, Lancaster Newspapers is responsible for the content found in its newspapers. We sincerely apologize to our readers for allowing this telephone number to be published….’”
WATCHDOG:
A public apology is an appropriate and commendable precedent. A wag of the tail.
However, we still await the time when Miller will show the humility and courage to apologize for the far more damaging than simply “distasteful” coverage of events leading up to the construction of the Convention Center project; the role of Penn Square Partner (PSP), of which it owns half interest in exploiting the public; and especially the LNP’s unjust and self serving vilification of Dick Shellenberger and Molly Henderson, the courageous former county commissioners who correctly demanded information concerning the feasibility of the project.
Although long overdue, the apology plus renegotiating of the outlandishly one side contract with the Convention Center Authority favoring PSP would go far towards healing wounds and bringing together the community, especially in the face of the challenges ahead in providing additional funds to cover the Convention Center losses.
3 wags of the tail!!!
Why does [Lancaster Newspapers Inc.] deserve praise for doing what they should be doing? It sounds to me like they never should have taken this money in the first place. It sounds to me like they want to pass the buck off to some agency.
It sort of reminds me of that new City logo debacle when the local ad agency says “we just took what ‘they’ gave us”.
And by the way, they issued the apology as a PR stunt and to save face with a dwindling reader and advertising base. This rag gets no wag from me.