You all do a great job keeping readers apprised of events in the county, and many thanks for that. However, I was more than slightly horrified by the two-page cigarette ad in the middle of the Feb. 10 issue. I thought it must be a parody or something, but several perusals show it to be a genuine advertisement. I thought that cigarette companies were no longer allowed to advertise like that. Even if something has changed and it is allowed, it is grossly irresponsible to run ads for products that kill. It is not much different than running ads for AR-15s or articles that include instructions on the manufacture of pipe bombs or Molotov cocktails. I understand the necessity for advertising funds, but I certainly expect better sense from the crew at New Times!
Ellen Evans
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Mar 3-10, 2022.
We’ve been telling people that cigarettes will kill them for over 60 years and yet they smoke. It is on the label of the product. People are going to consume use tobacco regardless of ads. It’s just a feel good step to ban them.
Ellen – I think your point is well-taken, and it extends far beyond New Times. Every week that I listen to or read about current National and World news I see advertisements impeded in the episode that contradict the news story. As an example, I’ve watched the morning news on high profile stations such as CBS, NBC or ABC that expose corruption and scams to avoid, then imbedded on the same channel within minutes of the news story I’ll see an ad about how wonderful a company like American Home Shield is – and if you do the research you’ll find they get about 11,000 complaints annually to the Better Business Bureau. So why in God’s name are high profile national TV stations running ads to promote companies that are essentially corrupt and at the same time showing stories about the pitfalls of corrupt companies?
One reason only – THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT US. They care only about keeping the flow of revenue running. We essentially live in a world chalk full of hypocrisy, pit falls, booby traps & greed. It is unbelievable, it’s reality and it’s a reason to distrust any news media who does it. Maybe public broadcasting stations avoid this – not sure, but maybe they are the lone ones that do.