Chapel Hill bus ads will now appear with disclaimer

Following a four-month debate about advertising on Chapel Hill Transit buses, political and religious ads now appear with a disclaimer.

The new policy­— approved by the Chapel Hill Town Council in December — allows ads to run if the council deems them respectful, and the disclaimer states the ad doesn’t reflect the views of the town.

But the modest change has left some unsatisfied.

The controversy surrounding bus ads began in August when the Church of Reconciliation purchased an ad advocating the end of military aid to Israel.

In October, the council froze the advertising policy to allow time for public discussion. Much of the discussion centered on the town’s ability to restrict political and religious ads.

The council’s December decision brought an end to the contentious debate. But Town Council member Donna Bell said Chapel Hill residents fell on two extremes of the issue, and the inclusion of a disclaimer satisfied neither extreme.

She said many people believed bus ads should be pulled completely, while others thought the ads shouldn’t have any restraints.

“People say they believe in free speech but in reality, that has proven to not be true,” Bell said.

The disclaimers were funded by revenue generated from other ads, and total printing cost was $808.43.

“Hopefully, the printed disclaimers will be a good reminder for all who ride our buses,” Bell said.

Dr. Adam Goldstein, a professor at the UNC School of Medicine, opposed the policy, saying the Town Council adopted its current plan only to avoid lawsuits.

“The new policy appears to show favoritism by allowing certain ads that are offensive but denying others,” Goldstein said.

“It puts the government in the role of deciding what is and isn’t considered to be offensive,” Goldstein said. “I don’t see any way that the disclaimers will be successful in the long run.”

Interim Transit Director Brian Litchfield said there was a period during the ad discussion when it was difficult to sell ads.

“Still, I believe the town ended up with a policy that will be most effective in the long run. I think our sales will be back on track very soon,” he said.

Despite disagreement about the bus ads, Litchfield said Chapel Hill Transit has not lost any advertisers.

Litchfield said the conversation about the ads has benefited the transit system in the long run.

“It has gotten the word out about advertising on the buses,” he said. “More people now know that they can safely advertise with Chapel Hill Transit.”

Bell said she stands by the council’s moderate decision.

“We should have made this policy from the beginning. It is important for the town government to have a disconnect from the ads,” Bell said. “We didn’t foresee this conversation, but we handled it in the best way we could.”

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