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Johnson County Newspapers Refuse Anti-Fracking Ads

Jacob McCleland
/
KRCU

The only two newspapers in Johnson County, Illinois are refusing advertising from supporters of an ordinance to ban hydraulic fracturing in that county.

The publisher of The Vienna Times and Goreville Gazette told members of Southern Illinoisans Against Fracturing Our Environment (SAFE) that neither paper will accept ads advocating a fracking ban.

SAFE spokesperson Annette McMichael said the publisher called her to say he would not put 6,000 inserts into the paper that were already printed.

“It’s of course a setback, but we have done nothing but plow through setbacks in the two years that we have been fighting fracking in southern Illinois. So it’s just one blow, but it strengthens our resolve,” McMichael said.

Last week, a Johnson County commissioner formed a group that is opposed to the ordinance. McMichael said there is a connection between this development and the media blackout.

“It’s obviously related to the brand new vote no coalition because looking in this week’s paper, the vote no coalition has a huge ad and two front page article in the Vienna Times.“

The Vienna Times website currently carries a link to a Facebook page that opposes the ordinance.

Representatives from H & R Media, who publishes the newspapers, did not return repeated calls for comment.

Johnson County voters will vote on the non-binding resolution on March 18.