No go for Canadian atheist bus ads in Kingston

January 30, 11:55 AMAtheism ExaminerTrina Hoaks

Previous Next

3 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Atheism Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

As atheist ad covered buses get set to roll in Toronto, it was reported that Kingston atheists will not be so lucky in having their message transited.

This decision does not seem to have anything to do with any battle between religion and lack thereof; it is more about the ad company’s ability to censor what ads appear on the buses.

According to a story on The Kingston Whig Standard Web site, the company responsible for bus ads in Kingston, Lamar Advertising, does not allow any ads that are of a controversial nature. Their banning touches many areas.

According to the report, a “…contract between the City of Kingston and Lamar Advertising… stipulates that religious or political subjects, among others, are unsuitable due to their capacity to stir controversy or potentially offend.”

In addition to politics and religion, subject matter about abortion, alcohol, and tobacco is forbidden in ads. Essentially, Lamar Advertising is performing what they consider to be a “courtesy” by keeping such controversial topics out of city advertising.

EDIT: It seems that in my haste to get this story out, I accidentally reported something inaccurately, as pointed out by the author of the original story (as seen in the comments below). Here is what he, Matt, had to say about my inaccuracy (Thanks, Matt!!):
 

Matt - Hey, I wrote the story in the Whig. You're actually somewhat mistaken...it's not Lamar Advertising that insists on the banning of "controversial" content, it's the city of Kingston itself. Lamar bows to the wishes of whichever city it has a contract with, and Kingston transit authorities, it seems, are stuck in the 1950s.