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Editor's Box

Paid ads don't reflect SMP opinions

During the past few weeks the Six Mile Post has received several letters in regards to the advertisement insert in last month's issue titled "The Silent Epidemic."

For those who missed the ad, it was a supplement produced by www.humanlife.org that was intended to inform viewers about abortion.

The advertisement was obviously pro-life and against aborting unborn babies.

Since the Jan. 28 issue many readers have sent in letters in praise of the SMP's stance on abortion. In the same manner, others have sent in letters saying that the ad reflected badly on the newspaper and that it was poor judgment to run the insert.

A few things need to be cleared up.

First of all, the advertising supplement "The Silent Epidemic" in no way reflects the thoughts or views of the SMP staff as a whole. Our staff is composed of many individuals with their own beliefs and opinions.

Secondly, the insert was a paid advertisement. The SMP budget is dependent on ad sales, and an insert such as the one from January does not come cheap. The purchaser paid us for the right to say whatever they wanted to say in their ad.

It is true that the content of the newspaper, ads included, is totally up to the editors. But the content of the anti-abortion insert was not found to be offensive by the editors and therefore was accepted for the print issue.

It's fair to say that abortion is a controversial topic and people are going to disagree. But no one stops watching ESPN when it runs Budweiser commercials just because he or she doesn't drink beer.

Vegetarian readers of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution do not protest every time the AJC runs a grocery store ad with coupons for meat.

Do you get mad at the postman whenever he brings you bills or unwanted news? Of course not. And likewise you shouldn't be upset with, or give praise to, the newspaper that ran the ad.

The content, whether you agree or disagree, was not of Six Mile Post creation, and we deserve no credit or fault for its message.

In the same way that we print letters to the editor and columns such as "Bourne with an Opinion" or "House of Thought," we are serving as a soapbox for those who have something to say.

The point is this: No matter how hard you push your thoughts and opinions about abortion on people, not everyone is going to agree. The people who paid for their ad in last month's newspaper spoke their mind.

If you as a reader agreed with the ad, GREAT! If you disagreed, GREAT! Either way, don't kill the messenger.