Ryan Nicol
The publisher of the Sun-Sentinel apologized Wednesday after a gun show advertisement appeared on its front page that morning alongside two stories on recent local mass shootings.
One story covered a fundraiser for victims of February’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Next to that piece, a photo of one of the victims, Alyssa Aldaheff, who would have turned 15 on Wednesday. Another story detailed a plea agreement for the man charged with shooting up the Fort Lauderdale International Airport last year.
At the bottom of the page, below those stories of shootings, ran a bright yellow-and-red ad for a Fort Lauderdale gun show set to take place this weekend. The ad also offered a $1 discount for admission.
Following the outcry, including from a parent of one of the Stoneman Douglas victims, Publisher Nancy Meyer issued a public apology on behalf of the paper:
“We deeply regret placement of a gun advertisement on our front page Wednesday morning. It is against our policy to run gun and other types of controversial advertising on our front page.
“We understand how the juxtaposition of certain ads and news stories can appear extremely insensitive, and we failed to prevent such a juxtaposition today.
“We are taking steps to ensure this does not happen again, and the Sun Sentinel now has a moratorium on gun advertising.”
