The Liberty Tree Lantern

A fourth billboard company has rejected a campaign designed to raise visibility on questions surrounding Barack Obama’s eligibility for office – this time by claiming the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, a trade and lobbying group that claims to promote freedom of speech, actually discouraged acceptance.

The OAAA, headed by President and Chief Executive Officer Nancy Fletcher – a Hillary Clinton financial contributor in 2008 – reportedly advised some members not to accept ads from WND that ask, “Where’s The Birth Certificate?”

Fletcher, who refused to respond to WND inquiries about the action of the OAAA, ironically writes on the group’s website that “the First Amendment protects free speech and the Fifth Amendment protects property rights. Debate is honored and encouraged in a free society. Indeed, people have debated outdoor advertising regulation since the first postings, and debate will continue. As the world changes around us – in ways we perhaps cannot contemplate – we know Americans share deep respect for free expression and for private property.”

Nevertheless, at least one billboard company, Steen Advertising, backed out of a commitment to lease billboards to WND after a sales executive said the company was warned off the campaign by the OAAA.

WND’s repeated calls to OAAA officials went unreturned.

The OAAA’s board of directors is dominated by top executives from the billboard industry – especially CBS, Clear Channel and Lamar, the three big players that explicitly turned down WND’s campaign without explanation.

While no one outdoor advertising company alone – or even three or four – could prevent a national billboard campaign from making an impact – the OAAA membership represents most of the industry. As the organization itself explains it: “The nearly 1,000 OAAA member companies generate more than $7.2 billion annually in ad revenues, representing more than 90 percent of industry income, and donate space to charitable organizations in excess of $390 million each year.”

“Something tells me this eligibility campaign really struck a nerve in Washington at the headquarters of the OAAA,” said Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND and the initiator of billboard effort. “Keep in mind, this organization has not yet commented on the hullabaloo over the Calvin Klein billboard in New York City. As far as I know, the OAAA did nothing to prevent that tasteless and immoral outdoor advertising from being shown to millions. The OAAA has been silent about campaigns supported by its members questioning the very existence of God. Yet, ask a question about Obama’s birth certificate and you suddenly represent a threat to all that is good and decent.”

Farah points out the OAAA claims to “advocate the use of outdoor advertising for political, editorial, public service and other noncommercial messages.” Yet, he says, “if that message is one they disagree with, all bets are off. If that message is one that might potentially compromise their ability to seek favors from government, all bets are off. If that message is one that is not ‘politically correct,’ then all bets are off.”

Nevertheless, the “billboard cartel” is not preventing a major expansion of the WorldNetDaily “Where’s
the Birth Certificate” campaign.
“I want everyone to understand there are still plenty of billboards available to lease,” Farah said. “Many supporters of this campaign have gotten the wrong impression – that we simply have been shut out of further billboard purchases by this political suppression. That is not the case. Donations to the campaign have dropped precipitously because of this false impression. We could buy billboards every single day if we had the financial support we had when this campaign began. But we don’t.”

Farah said it would be a shame if potential contributors were dissuaded from making donations because of this mistaken idea.

“The billboard cartel is on the verge of getting its way – not by blocking the purchase of ad space, but by convincing donors there is no space to buy,” he explained. “Nothing has ever raised the visibility of the eligibility issue like this campaign. If people want that expansion of awareness to continue, all they need to do is support it financially. There are plenty of independent billboard companies eager to work with us. I ask everyone to pitch in and help WND make a simple yet profound statement: The Constitution still matters.”

Your donation – from as little as $5 to as much as $1,000 – can be made online at the WND SuperStore.

(Donations are not tax-deductible. Donations of amounts greater than $1,000 can be arranged by calling either 541-474-1776 or 1-800-4WNDCOM. In addition, donations of billboard space will be accepted, as will significant contributions specifically targeted for geographic locations.)