Posted on April 15, 2005

The Daily Mississippian Staff to Print Retraction, Apology for Inflammatory Ad

Joy Douglas, Daily Mississippian (U. of Miss.), April 15, 2005

An advertisement that ran in today’s print edition of The Daily Mississippian contained a racist message.

The ad 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.

{snip}

“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,” advertising representative 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.”