JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The front page of the Florida Times-Union is causing a mix of strong reactions after the lead story about students shot on a school bus was juxtaposed with a sticker advertising a gun show.
People are sounding off on Twitter and Facebook about Friday’s paper. While some are in shock, others are supportive.
A yellow sticker advertising a gun show at the Morocco Shrine Center is placed right above a headline reading "Shock, anger after shooting."
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Action News called the Times-Union for comment. Kurt Caywood, Times-Union vice president of Audience sent the following statement:
“All of us at The Florida Times-Union know that gun violence is one of the most emotionally charged and pressing issues facing our community. The tragedy that occurred on a Duval County school bus Thursday was as societally significant as it was frightening. As such, a team of reporters, editors and photographers approached this story with great sensitivity and professionalism, and we stand proudly by their report on page 1A of Friday’s newspaper.
"The appearance of a gun-related front-page sticky note on the same day was an incredibly regrettable coincidence. It was born of the purposeful separation between our news and advertising departments, an approach we take because we value nothing more than the objectivity of our journalism. That said, this clearly was an oversight. We’re aggressively reviewing our procedures and will implement steps to prevent such a situation in the future.”
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Action News asked on Facebook if readers thought it was bad taste or just bad timing.
“Doesn’t bother me … not one bit!” Bethany Mathis said.
Michelle Favro-Corder said: "Poor form, Times-Union.".
Debbie Stroud-Hubbard agreed with the paper, saying: “Bad timing. Advertising is scheduled weeks in advance and they would have no idea something like this would happen on this exact day.”
Feel free to weigh in on the front-page controversy in the comment section of this article and vote in the Action Poll.
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