Kansas City Star VS The Catholic Church

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows:

Almost two weeks ago, we contacted the Kansas City Star about running a full-page ad on Sunday, October 30. The ad which I wrote is a critical statement about the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), and their attorney friend, Rebecca Randles. The ad was written because we strongly defend Kansas City-St. Joseph Bishop Robert Finn against the politically motivated attacks on him.

Everything looked like it was good to go: on October 25, we submitted the ad exactly the way they wanted it, and indeed gave them our credit card information to pay the $25,000 fee. On October 26, we received an e-mail which said that "The Publisher has respectfully declined and did not share the details as to why."

I have been writing newspaper ads for decades, especially for the New York Times. It is common practice to fact-check an ad, asking for documentation to substantiate something in it, but never have I been turned down, much less without explanation.

We know what's going on. The Kansas City Star has long been in bed with SNAP, just as SNAP is in bed with attorneys like Randles and her mentor, Jeffrey Anderson. All are decidedly anti-Catholic. To wit: on September 25, the Star ran a 2223-word front-page Sunday news story on SNAP. To say it was a puff piece would be an understatement. Never has the Catholic Church been treated with such kid gloves.

Starting this week, we will blanket the Kansas City, Missouri area with copies of the ad that the Kansas City Star doesn't want readers to see [to read it, click here]; no secular or religious organization will escape us. They can impose a gag rule on us in their newspaper, but they cannot control us. Our campaign against the Star and SNAP will be on-going.

Contact KC Star publisher Mi-Ai Parrish: mparrish@kcstar.com