Wal-Mart Apologizes for Ad

A newspaper ad showing a picture of a Nazi-era book burning has Wal-Mart apologizing. The text of the ad prominently features the line, "Should we let government tell us what we can read?" Even though the photo is blurred, a swastika can be seen near the center of the picture.

The ad ran in Flagstaff's Arizona Daily Sun in hopes of encouraging people to vote no on Proposition 100, an ordinance that would prohibit Wal-Mart from opening a supercenter. The ad was political action committee Protect Flagstaff's Future's idea but a line at the bottom of the ad says, "Major funding by Wal-Mart." A spokesman for Protect Flagstaff's Future says an outside ad agency created the ad but Wal-Mart approved it. A spokesperson for Wal-Mart calls the ad, "a terrible mistake."

Wal-Mart has issued an apology ad that ran in the same Arizona newspaper. An apology letter to the Anti-Defamation League has also been released.

See the ad here(PDF file).