By: Lucia Moses Seattle Post-Intelligencer Is Target
Protesters at this week's World Trade Organization talks in Seattle have been wrapping a section with fake stories around copies of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
The wrap, distributed in coin boxes and stores, screamed ?Boeing to move overseas? in its lead headline. Other anti-
WTO articles reflected protesters' concerns about the WTO's impact on pollution, labor conditions, and developing nations.
P-I Editor and Publisher J.D. Anderson issued a statement calling the prank an ?elaborate hoax? and a ?deplorable act of vandalism.?
?We feel especially concerned because it was designed to deliberately mislead our readers,? he said in the statement.
A group of activists called ?Wake Up? said in a news release that thousands of copies were distributed. The P-I reported the fakes to the police, who are conducting an investigation.
The hoax closely resembles the P-I in design, but careful readers noticed the missing ?r? from the paper's name and the different typeface.
?They did a very good job of imitating the look of the Post-Intelligencer newspaper,? Managing Editor Ken Bunting said. ?Some readers were confused; some were amused.?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucia Moses (luciam@mediainfo.com) is associate editor for Editor & Publisher magazine.
(c) Copyright 1999, Editor & Publisher
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here