Recently, some concern has been raised over an advertisement for Seminole Ridge we printed in the Aug. 26 edition of the East Tennessean.
Although the content of the ad was not obscene, the message was interpreted as inappropriate. The ad in question said, “Redefine the term Roommate” with an image of two pairs of feet sticking out from under the covers.
The East Tennessean staff was surprised by the content of the ad because Seminole Ridge has been a patron of the publication for many years and we’ve never had to question the content of any prior ad. We have had a good relationship with Seminole Ridge and their ads have mostly featured the amenities they offer.
This time the ad was actually quite tasteless.
Although the ad was creative and not in violation of the Student Publication Committee policy or code of ethics, we decided it was unsuitable for our target audience. We value the readership of anyone who picks up the paper but our purpose is to serve the 11,000-plus students first and foremost.
It is difficult to judge what the ETSU community will think about any content within our pages. What may be offensive to some might only stir a chuckle out of others.
Several factors led to the printing of the ad in the Aug. 26 issue. It was the first paper of the new school year and several staff members had not yet returned from summer break. Operating within a smaller time frame and having a larger-than-average paper, the staff decided to run the ad only for the one issue and asked Seminole Ridge to tone down the content of future ads. The apartment complex had no apparent objections.
Two more ads from the apartment complex were run in subsequent editions without complications.
Last week, Seminole Ridge decided to cancel the contract to advertise with the East Tennessean.
While we cannot say our decision not to run the ad caused the cancellation, we believe that it is odd Seminole Ridge would do so after signing a $4,000-plus semester contract.
Seminole Ridge was the East Tennessean’s largest advertising client and we will surely feel the effects of losing such a valuable contract at the beginning of a school year.
However, we at the East Tennessean had a moral decision to make and we feel we made the right choice.
Now, you know the rest of the story.

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