I was disappointed to see the PolyMet advertisement in the last issue of the Cook County News-Herald. I’m sure that almost anyone can buy ad space, but presumably there is some editorial oversight that bars offensive advertisements.
Would the White Knights of the Klu Klux Klan be afforded a fullpage ad in the News-Herald? What about the so-called “birthers” (those who question the legal status of the current president of the United States)? What about an unbalanced person with an ax to grind? Common sense on the part of the editorial staff of the paper should dictate that not anyone who can afford to purchase ad space should be allowed to.
PolyMet represents no economic value for Cook County. Instead it represents a threat to our watershed and therefore our economy, the tourist trade, the interaction with the natural world that so many of us treasure, and our children.
It is perhaps unfair to group PolyMet with a racist organization or the unbalanced. But seeing the PolyMet ad in the News-Herald made me wonder if the editorial staff is interested in the good of our community, or in selling ad space. It is worth mentioning that I’m certainly tempted to skip the purchase of any paper with offensive advertising in it.
Andrew Ashcroft
Hovland
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