Anyone notice anything odd about the front page of Wednesday's Daily Times?
No, not the big ad we featured in our partnership with Penn Medicine as we present a month-long series of stories placing a focus on October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Yes, it did give our front page a different look, taking up the full left-hand rail, along with a pink ribbon adorning our masthead and another teaser box at the top right corner of the page.
I'm talking about that other "ad."
That would be the one at the bottom of the page.
Welcome to election season, folks.
The strip ad across the bottom of Page 1 was a plug for Republican Jen Holsten Maddaloni, who is running for register of wills.
There are some people who hate the idea of ads on Page One at all. I used to be one of them. I've pretty much moved past that stage. With the state of the newspaper industry, our need for new revenue makes us do things we once would not consider.
If someone wants to pay for a slice of that very valuable real estate on our front page, I'm not going to stop them.
But that's part of the issue.
This was a paid ad. It was not editorial comment, and it did not fall under the auspices of me or the newsroom. We did not have any control over this content, nor did we take part in writing it. But you wouldn't know that just by glancing at it. The ad should have been clearly marked as such. It wasn't, and that was our mistake. When you look at the ad, it's hard to discern it's not the Daily Times making this pronouncement.
We did not.
It was not an endorsement. Ironically, we are in the process of interviewing candidates for countywide office this week. Jen Holsten Maddaloni was here in the office yesterday. We asked her if it was unusual for her to place an ad this early in the campaign, if there was a different feeling or strategy among Republican now that they have lost their once invincible voter registration edge in the county. Democrats now hold a 319-voter edge, even if the GOP maintains they still hold a solid advantage in "active" voters, those who actually make it to the polls on a reliable basis.
A couple of readers called me yesterday to ask about the "ad." They wondered if we were making a pronouncement in the race.
I also got an email from the Democratic candidate for Register of Wills, Frank Daly. As is usually the case, Daly could not have been more gracious, while pointing out that the "ad" did not carry the needed disclaimer that this was a paid political piece.
He also joked that I'd probably be happy to offer him the opportunity to buy a similar ad. He's right about that. But Daly says his campaign doesn't have that kind of money.
Rest assured we have made no endorsement in this race. At least not yet. And the ad that ran on yesterday's front page will have no effect on our decision.
But it's clear that some readers questioned exactly what was going on when they saw yesterday's front page. Now they know.
Comments