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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

KPLU: King County Metro Bans King County Anti-Smoking Ad

On Other Blogs   August 1, 2011 at 1:46 pm Erica C. Barnett

KPLU Radio reports that King County has banned an anti-smoking ad sponsored by King County.

The decision is based on a new policy adopted last year after a controversy over pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli ads on the sides of Metro buses.

Using the slogan, “Let’s Do This King County,” the ads depict a fictitious 11-year-old girl named Mia, with various thought bubbles. One says, “Stores are full of tobacco. Why can’t they be full of fruit?” Another asks why stores don’t stock milk instead of sugary drinks.

Under Metro’s policy, these are both too provocative. Promoting milk, for example, may not be a matter of public debate, says Linda Thielke, Metro Transit spokeperson:

“But it was also talking about what store owners should stock in their stores, and that’s an issue that there has been some debate about.”

Read the whole story here.

 


  • Anonymous

    Why don’t we paint the busses grey and have no ad’s whatsoever.  Thats about the effect of such a ridiculous policy. That common sense can’t even be advocated…

  • Trevor

    In trying to parse the political from the non-political ad, Metro is basically promoting the view that there is nothing political about telling people to buy stuff.

  • Anonymous

    It’s kind of a public policy hot topic, this idea of pressuring convenience store owners in neighborhoods underserved by grocery chains. The goal is to help poor people eat more nutritiously. The trouble isn’t with the justice or rightness, but the science of its effectiveness.

    A big study came out just a couple weeks ago showing that it’s not nearly as cut and dried as “swap smokes for milk and the poor will eat better”.

    “The results, published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, throw some cold water on the idea that lack of access to fresh produce and other healthful foods is a major driver in the disproportionate rates of obesity among the poor, or that simply encouraging grocery chains to open in deprived areas will fix the problem, said study lead author Barry Popkin, director of the Nutrition Transition Program at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.”

    http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-food-deserts-20110712,0,537936.story

  • Blue Light

    Apparently King County has more-than-enough money.

  • Rich

    Seems like they just blew a good chance to transfer anti-smoking money to transit. 

  • Jakers

    And more than enough time on their hands. This is exactly why some people do not want government running things…banning an ad that they sponsor!? It’s okay for government money to go towards milk and fruit propaganda (I’m using that term jokingly) but no okay for that same propaganda to be place on one of it’s own buses.

  • Blue Light

    How was your Long Walk, Erica?

  • Admiral Grammar

    superfluous apostrophe alert!

  • Admiral Grammar

    superfluous apostrophe alert!

  • Anonymous

    don’t feed the troll

  • Anonymous

    another step down the slippery slope of censorship…

  • Monster

    apostrophe  serve a purpose.

  • Monster

    the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

  • Anonymous

    as is the road to heaven.

  • sarah

    BS.  No one, including a governmental authority, is required to run ads. 

  • Monster

    This comment has been deleted.

  • Monster

    This comment has been deleted.

  • guest

    I understand the intent, but this does seems counter productive. To purposely restrict any kind of public health campaign from mass transit ridership is not only harmful, it’s also biased when looking at this through a 
    Race & Social Justice perspective.  What is the lesser of the two dilemmas here? Offending someone political sensibilities? or lung Cancer. What other public health campaigns are going to be removed next on the grounds that they could hurt someones feelings?

  • http://profiles.google.com/jeffw66seattle Jeff Welch

    God forbid we should offend the fucking vegans.

    In all seriousness though – “no issue ads” should mean no issue ads, even if they’re put out by the County.