Free speech? No thanks, say airlines — unless it’s for us
Maybe it really was the word “bomb” on the billboard that prompted Northwest Airlines to demand the removal of an anti-nuclear sign at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Then again, maybe it didn’t want to offend any of the delegates to the upcoming Republican and Presidential candidates transiting through its terminal.
Northwest stands to lose a lot by falling out of favor with the powers that be. That whole deal to merge with Delta Air Lines might hang in the balance.
But it’s hardly the only travel company to get sensitive about ads. In San Francisco, the Dump Diesel coalition had its ads rejected from bus terminals by the city’s Municipal Railway a few years ago.
The ad in question featured a photo of a 1984 Muni Flyer bus spewing black smoke from its rear exhaust, with the copy, “Wanted: Off the streets of San Francisco . . . dozens of old, unhealthy, unreliable Muni diesel buses.”
Still, the airline industry seems to be embracing a double standard. On the one hand, it demands the right to free speech — either through ad campaigns that push the boundaries of decency or through its lobbyists at the Air Transport Association — while on the other hand, suppressing the rights of others to speak their minds.
Northwest’s actions certainly set a troubling precedent. The Associated Press reports that Kathleen Nelson, Northwest’s regional director, wanted the billboard scrapped because of politics — not sensitivity to post 9/11 passengers.
I just took a look and I can see how this would be offensive/scary to some (the concept of our city in the crosshairs of a nuclear bomb) and the strong anti-McCain message. Can we remove it?
Stay tuned for more examples of airline censorship. The political season is just starting to heat up.
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2 Responses to “Free speech? No thanks, say airlines — unless it’s for us”
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Stupid is as stupid does…and these billboards and so-called ads ARE stupid. Kudos to Northwest for having the guts to speak THEIR mind and wanting it down. And I don’t see why a bus terminal should have to carry an ad crying how disgusting their buses are. Every person of low-intelligence out there should be reminded of their right NOT to speak. It’s life…deal.
Anyone who would suggest that Free Speech is selective according to whom it offends is well Un-American.
So NWA was offended? Tough Darts. I’m offended daily by what airlines do to customers should we close them down.
The billboard Companies have in their contracts the right to reject an ad due to conduct that they deem inappropriate. .
What IMO they do not have the right to due is succumb to a bully like Northwest Airlines, Or AA in the case of the billboard ad placed in DFW by AA’s pilots union.
Last timeI looked the Constitution was still the law of the land. NWA and the rest of the ATA apparently haven’t managed to get it overturned YET!