Pro-Sleazy Journalism
Newspaper Runs Two Misleading Articles
On NORML's "Pro-Pot" Billboards Being "Too Close" To Schools
(Marijuananews note: When NORML hired a San
Francisco company to put up the bus shelter ads it specified that none be placed within
1,000 feet of schools.
The company screwed up and put two of them too close to a school. This does not violate
any laws, but the political reasons for this seem obvious, even without the nonsense
below.As it happens, The Chronicle never saw fit to report the ad program, even though
it got national TV coverage from CNN and most of the other networks -- and an excellent
story in the San Jose paper.
See
NORML Launches Bay
Area Ad Campaign
And Gets Great Free Publicity In Silicon Valley
But when one person called to complain…)
Pro-Pot Billboards Near S.F. School
(Marijuananews note: None of the ads advocate the use of
marijuana.)
Six-foot marijuana leaf appears on bus shelters
(Marijuananews note: The ads are six feet. The leaf is only
around 16 inches.)
By Jonathan Curiel, Chronicle Staff Writer
From The San Francisco Chronicle
www.sfgate.com
August 26, 1999
It may be illegal to advertise tobacco on billboards near
schools, but in San Francisco that prohibition doesn't apply to ads promoting other
things that are smoked.
(Marijuananews note: Tobacco ads are designed to sell
tobacco. The NORML ads are not selling anything, except freedom. Notice the use of the
word "prohibition," but that is the only time that it appears. There is no
reference to "marijuana prohibition."
Does the Chronicle oppose criminal laws punishing reporters and editors for errors such
as the size of the leaf, or -- more substantively -- misrepresenting the purpose of the
ads? Does this mean that they are pro-error, pro-sleazy journalism? By their own logic,
they must be.
And I would just love to see them characterize a pro-gay rights group as
"pro-sodomy." San Francisco riots are always colorful!)
Advertisements paid for by NORML, an organization promoting
legalized marijuana,
(Marijuananews note: No, again, NORML is not promoting legalized
marijuana. It promotes the legalization of marijuana. NORML does not advocate the use of
marijuana by anyone.)
are prominently displayed at Muni bus shelters near at least
two elementary schools -- Alamo and Sutro -- in the Richmond District.
The ads, showing a marijuana leaf, stand 6 feet tall and say: "Honk If You
Inhale.''
It was enough to outrage at least one neighborhood
resident
, who called the San Francisco School District and Supervisor Tom Ammiano
yesterday to complain that the ads should be removed immediately.
"Children are inevitably going to see (the ads), either on
their way to or from school'' said Phil Ryan, a graduate student in English at San
Francisco State University. ``I'm outraged.''
(Marijuananews note: Unless the children live within 1,000 feet of their schools and
never go further, they are very likely to see other ads. Ah, yes, we must never advocate
repealing the marijuana laws in public, because children might find out and then they
might use marijuana, whereas that never happens now.
This line has been used by prohibitionists to suppress any dissent against marijuana
prohibition.)
A state law prohibits companies from advertising tobacco on billboards that are within
1,000 feet of a school or playground.
NORML's bus-stop ads are within 200 feet of the two elementary
schools.
One bus shelter ad is at 22nd Avenue and Clement Street, a short distance
away from Alamo Elementary, which is between Clement and California streets and between
22nd and 23rd avenues. NORML's ad on 12th Avenue and California Street is a short walk
from Sutro, which is located on 235 12th Avenue.
Principals at those two schools were not available for comment last night.
Dale Gieringer, who heads NORML's San Francisco chapter, said that Ryan's criticism is
unfair.
"We're not telling kids to smoke pot,'' he said. ``It's very
definitely aimed at adults.''
The NORML ads near Alamo and Sutro elementary schools feature a green marijuana leaf
and urge passers-by to ``please support the NORML Foundation.'' They also say: "Stop Arresting Responsible Pot Smokers.''
Gieringer said that NORML does not decide where to put its ads, that officials at
Outdoor Systems, which run the bus-stop ad program, decide. A representative of Outdoor
Systems was not available to comment last night.
Maggie Lynch, a Muni spokeswoman, said the transit organization
had not received any complaints about NORML's bus ads. The only complaints the Muni has
received in the past two months, she said, have been about bus stop ads placed by a weekly
newspaper that feature two men kissing.
"You can't discriminate (who buys advertising),'' she said. "If you sell
advertising, people have a right to buy it.''
About 30 NORML marijuana ads are in bus shelters around San Francisco. It is unknown how many are near schools. Ryan said that the number does
not matter -- that two is two too many.
He said he "isn't casting any aspersions at NORML. But I don't think they should
be advertising in this way. . . . I think people should be outraged.''
(Marijuananews note: Isn’t it wonderful that the Chronicle
found someone in San Francisco who is an expert on moral outrage, and he is only a grad
student.)
August 27, 1999
Pro-Pot Ads Near 2 Schools In S.F. Removed Placement was `innocent
mistake,' company says
(Marijuananews note: Would he prefer a "guilty
mistake?")
By Jonathan Curiel, Chronicle Staff Writer
From The San Francisco Chronicle
www.sfgate.com
Apologizing for "an innocent mistake,'' an outdoor advertising company removed pro-marijuana signs yesterday from two Muni bus shelters near San
Francisco elementary schools.
(Marijuananews note: Again, no, they were not
"pro-marijuana." They said nothing about marijuana.)
The proximity of the 6-foot tall ads to two schools unsettled Supervisor Tom Ammiano
and others, who complained to Outdoor Systems after reading a report in The Chronicle. By
8 a.m. yesterday, the ads were taken down.
"The two ads near schools got by us, and for that I
apologize,'' said Lew Lillian, manager of Outdoor System's San Francisco office.
The ads featured a marijuana leaf and the words, ``Honk If You Inhale,'' and were paid
for by NORML, an organization promoting legalized use of marijuana.
(Marijuananews note: Again, no, NORML does not promote the legalized use of marijuana.
It promotes the legalization of marijuana use by adults.)
One ad was at 22nd Avenue and Clement Street, a short distance from Alamo Elementary
School, which is between Clement and California streets and between 22nd and 23rd avenues.
The other ad was on 12th Avenue and California Street, just down the block from Sutro
Elementary School, located at 235 12th Ave.
NORML has 28 similar ads at other Muni bus shelters. Outdoor Systems rechecked those
ads yesterday and found they are not near any schools.
State law prohibits companies from advertising tobacco on billboards that are within
1,000 feet of a school or playground. NORML's two Richmond District bus-stop ads were
within 200 feet of Alamo and Sutro.
"I'm glad this happened, so that the next time someone wants to put an ad near a
school, they will consider the children's needs,'' said Annette Lim, Sutro's principal.
Ammiano said the marijuana ads may be appropriate in other areas, but not near schools.
NORML did not tell Outdoor Systems where to put its bus-shelter ads, which have been
running for more than a month.
(Marijuananews note: No, NORML told them where NOT to put them, i.e.
within 1,000 feet of schools.)
Still, the head of NORML's San Francisco office on Wednesday defended the ads'
placement near Alamo and Sutro schools, saying, ``We're not telling kids to smoke pot.
It's very definitely aimed at adults.'' Yesterday, Dale Gieringer backtracked, saying,
``If the principal people who use the bus station are elementary school kids, it probably
doesn't make much sense to have a political ad there.''
Supported