Paper Apologizes for Spears-Madonna Photo (too-little-too-late alert)

Yahoo! News ^ | September 1, 2003 | AP

[El Conservador]

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution apologized to readers Monday for using a picture of Britney Spears (news) kissing Madonna (news - web sites) on the front page.

The picture, not much bigger than a postage stamp, was near the top of Friday's front page. It showed Spears and Madonna in an open-mouth kiss they shared at the MTV Video Music Awards the night before. A larger version of the picture was in the Living section.

The sloppy kiss picture elicited a deluge of complaints to the newspaper. In Monday's editions, managing editor Hank Klibanoff apologized, saying the picture should have been inside but not on the front page.

Klibanoff compared the Spears picture to graphic images from the war in Iraq (news - web sites).

"We ran images we otherwise might not have run. But that was war, and war was news. The photo we ran Friday was neither, and I wish I had limited its display to the inside of the Living section," Klibanoff wrote in a response to letters on the opinions page.

[El Conservador]

What for??? You already screwed up!!!

[Paul Atreides]

The sloppy kiss picture elicited a deluge of complaints to the newspaper.

Dare I say that there is hope left for this nation?

[kitkat]

***...a deluge of complaints to the newspaper***

GOOD!

[jjbrouwer]

Why should they apologise? The picture of the pretend French kiss was on the front pages of hundreds of newspapers all over the world.

[Swanks]

You can bet the farm that The Urinal lost a few subscriptions that day. The only reason they would do a 180 on this is loss of revenue. At the end of the day, the Socialist are all for (their own) wealth.

[spokeshave]

Al bore and tipper were deeply disturbed

[LibKill]

I saw a clip of that.

Britney! You stick with them. I no longer dream about you!

[ThreePuttinDude]

The sloppy kiss picture elicited a deluge of complaints to the newspaper.

The viewers that watched that show, aren't even the
type of people that would buy a newspaper. So why
would the paper even think about putting the picture
on the front page in the first place.

[jjbrouwer]

Maybe they are more prudish in Atlanta. I bet no one was really offended. They just like to pretend to be.

[Paul Atreides]

How desperate did those three look, pulling that stunt? They are all three officially over.

[zarf]

the Islamists have a point?

[Paul Atreides]

What are you talking about?

[LibKill]

How desperate did those three look, pulling that stunt? They are all three officially over.

Good point. They had their '15 minutes '

I hope they enjoyed it, you only get 15 minutes of fame in one lifetime. :)

[zeromus]

The viewers that watched that show, aren't even the type of people that would buy a newspaper. So why would the paper even think about putting the picture on the front page in the first place.

Because that image is fascinating to many people that would not have watched the video music awards. An aunt of mine with little girl kids who are big fans of britney spears--with mamas cooperation--comes to mind.

[RightField]

This morning's sports page in the North County Times (San Diego County) had fully 1/2 of the page, complete with a very large picture, devoted to the plight of a same sex couple (female) in Rancho Bernardo who are suing a local country club because they can't get the same golfing privileges as married couples.

First, the article is really not even about sports. Sheesh. Second, who the h*ll cares?

[Queen Jadis]

beyond desparate. Bad move for xtina and brittany....they may have had a chance at a few more hit CDs, Madonna is all washed up anyway. Typical vampiress behavior on her part.

[ThreePuttinDude]

Yes, your correct on that one.

I sit corrected.

[singsong]

What for??? You already screwed up!!!

Don't you know the script? Pretend a slip, get publicity. Then appologise so those who missed it can look it up. More publicity gained, more filth sold! Why do you think the Canadian leaders get blisters on their lips from "slips"?

[zarf]

Our Cultural decadence a threat to them etc...etc..

[Super Mak90kid]

It was in poor taste to print that picture. Despite that, the turn-on factor was ZERO. It looked like a young college chick swapping spit with grandma. Who the hell in their right mind would want to see that?