Translink rejects atheist bus ads
(As predicted here by Ken Hardie)
TransLink officials won’t allow advertisements promoting atheism to appear on Metro Vancouver’s public transit system.
The BC Humanist Association had wanted to display a message saying “You can be good without God” on various TransLink buses and facilities.
“TransLink has reviewed this material and determined that it does not meet the criteria set out in its Advertising Policy…,” TransLink said in a news release Friday.
“No advertisement will be accepted which promotes or opposes a specific theology or religious ethic, point of view, policy or action.”
Actually the only reason I decided to reproduce the story here is the Sun’s extraordinary choice of illustration. I suppose someone was told to go dig in the files for a picture of a bus and they came up with this one. Nice.
ex Translink trolley buses
Old trollies picture for some old thinking. I understand that Translink wants to be controversy-adverse in its advertising, and what’s more controversial that saying you can be a good person without religion.
Dammit though, I did love those trollies – the interiors trump the Dali-esque layout of the new vehicles, which optimistically anticipate not more than 5 standing passengers.
Todd Sieling
February 7, 2009 at 8:26 am
These ads are not saying what the atheists believe, they are attacking what other people believe.
Mark
February 9, 2009 at 12:36 pm