The Right Side of Life » WND: CBS Outdoor Bans Buys from $65,000 Billboard Initiative

The Right Side of Life » WND: CBS Outdoor Bans Buys from $65,000 Billboard Initiative

CBS refusing to rent sign space for "Where's the birth certificate" adds. CBS will show all kinds of questionable material to anyone, but will not under any circumstances question Obama.

As WorldNetDaily had begun their billboard campaign of buying up space to display the message, “Where’s The Birth Certificate?”, they now report that CBS Outdoor corporate has chosen to not accept money for billboard buys:

The company touting itself as the “world’s largest out-of-home media”enterprise has banned WND’s national billboard campaign that asks one simple question: “Where’s the birth certificate?”

CBS Outdoor, a division of CBS Corp. that sells more outdoor advertising than any other billboard company in North America, refuses to accept purchases of space on any of its 550,000 displays nationwide, media buyers for WND report.

The billboard campaign was begun last month by Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND, due to his frustration with media colleagues not giving attention to what he sees as critical questions about Barack Obama’s constitutional eligibility to serve as president.

“Here we have one of the largest media companies in the U.S. now not only refusing to allow news coverage of a vitally important national question being asked by millions of Americans, but one that won’t even permit the purchase of space to raise the question,” said Farah. “What is the value of a First Amendment in a country when this kind of self-censorship is at work – self-censorship specifically geared to stifle inquiry and debate about the most powerful person in the country.” …

CBS also owns one of the three major broadcast TV networks and radio networks, an online advertising division, television stations, Showtime and Simon & Schuster, one of the largest book publishers in the world. The billboard division manages $2 billion in annual revenues, according to company statements. It also boasts controlling more billboard space than any other company in North America, with 1,600 employees in more than 50 offices nationwide. It controls billboard space in every major American city.

“We are the premier out-of-home provider to outdoor advertising agencies in the United States,” the company’s website says. “In addition to our overall advertising agency client base, we also sell and service more out-of-home media to local clients than any other outdoor company. During the company’s seven decades, its sole focus has been providing the very best out-of-home media opportunities to marketers across the country.”

Farah says CBS obviously has a focus beyond making money by selling signs.

“CBS is a company that is not squeamish about feeding America’s children a steady diet of offensive movies, obscene rap music and even TV commercials that push the cultural and moral envelope,” said Farah. “But CBS is afraid to put up a sign containing four innocent words of constitutionally protected, non-inflammatory speech. You explain that to me. This is a giant media conglomerate unworthy of operating under the protection of the First Amendment.”

Nevertheless, Farah remains undaunted in his quest to post the eligibility issue on billboards across the country and insists CBS billboards are not needed to fulfill the mission. His media buyer, who had no opinion on the campaign when she became involved, says she has had her eyes opened.

“They (CBS) already knew about this campaign when approached,” she said. “Being involved in this campaign has not only opened my eyes but has disillusioned my faith in Americans standing up for what’s right and equal in the eyes of our forefathers who wrote the Constitution for this very reason. It has made me feel sad.”

The local account executive at CBS was shocked by the response from the top levels of the corporation.

“We just received an e-mail from CBS Corporate,” he wrote. “They are aware of this campaign and we are not allowed to install it. This came straight from corporate. Sorry!”

Launched just two weeks ago, the campaign has raised about $65,000 and begun erecting billboards that ask the question, “Where’s the birth certificate?” [emphasis mine]

At first glance, my libertarian streak compells me to say, “CBS Outdoor is a private entity and they have every right to choose the transactions in which they intend to do business.” On the other hand, businesses such as CBS Outdoor are facing certain ordinance fights over exactly how many billboards as well as what kinds of advertising they can put into a given geographical area.

So, even though CBS Outdoor can legitimately determine what ads they’ll allow, the real question is why they’re rejecting these buys. And if it is true that corporate was aware of this initiative, who else on up the proverbial food chain knew about this and maybe decided to squash it?

I agree with Mr. Farah and I’m glad he’s not stopping by any means. In fact, the billboard campaign is a very creative way to deal with a very controversial issue — controversial only for the fact that some do not believe this President should even be questioned. If there’s an encumbrance popping up here, we’ll find another way around it and proceed forward.

And in case you haven’t seen them yet, here’s the link to Mr. Obama’s background documentation that continues to be kept sealed from public view and here’s the link to what the eligibility issue is all about.