Time to Update MCTS Advertising Guidelines
"No one should feel our public transportation is subjecting them to a political ad."
MILWAUKEE – Supervisor Patti Logsdon is calling on the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) to change its advertising guidelines to prevent political messages from appearing on County buses.
Earlier this week MCTS unveiled a county bus that was “wrapped” to display several murals designed by local youth. The Milwaukee Art Museum had previously submitted the artwork to MCTS as a paid advertisement.
The images, which depict Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arresting children and lists tactics for evading detention by ICE agents, angered many members of the public and prompted Logsdon to offer a better way for MCTS to deal with potential politically controversial ads.
“Current policy puts transportation officials in the difficult position of determining what may or may not be excessively politically controversial and offensive to many people. Our buses serve all members of the public and are many people’s primary contact with County government. No one should feel our public transportation is subjecting them to a political ad. If MCTS doesn’t create better guidelines to limit political advertising, I can see this escalating into a back and forth of increasingly polarizing, politically motivated messages that are intended to offend rather than promote dialogue,” said Logsdon.
Current MCTS policy for political or issue-oriented advertising only requires that the sponsor must pay for the ad in advance, the ad must clearly identify the sponsor of the ad, and the sponsor must submit the ad to MCTS for approval.
An internal MCTS committee reviewed the submitted artwork and determined it complied with current guidelines.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
More about the MCTS ICE Mural Controversy
- Time to Update MCTS Advertising Guidelines - Sup. Patti Logsdon - Aug 15th, 2019
- Bus Mural on Immigration Draws Flak - Alana Watson - Aug 14th, 2019
- Supervisor Sebring Calls for Removal of Anti-Law Enforcement Ad on County Bus - Sup. Dan Sebring - Aug 12th, 2019
Read more about MCTS ICE Mural Controversy here
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