Times to Pull Controversial Ads in Wake of Protests From Groups
Los Angeles Times promotional ads that angered some Muslims and a feminist organization, as well as hundreds of members of the newspaper’s editorial staff, “have had their life” and will be replaced with new advertisements, James Helin, The Times’ chief marketing officer, said Thursday.
The ads in question--which feature images of bikini-clad women next to chador-covered Islamic women--will no longer run as television and newspaper spots, and will be removed in about two weeks from city buses, Helin said.
“People have seen it and had very strong reactions to it. We’re not going to get much more mileage from it,” Helin said. The ads are part of The Times’ multimedia campaign.
Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, praised Helin for “carefully listening to our concerns.”
In a meeting Monday, Ayloush and others said they told Helin that the ad was divisive, pitting the blond beach-goers as “us” and the Muslim women as “them.” The ad also perpetuated the stereotype that Islam oppresses women, Ayloush said.
More than 200 members of The Times editorial staff signed a petition demanding that the ads not run.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
