USA Today Co. controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2020
Gannett condemns Tennessean ad and apologizes to readers
Company response
After The Tennessean published a full-page advertisement claiming that Islam would detonate a nuclear device in Nashville, Gannett chief revenue officer Kevin Gentzel said the ad did not meet the paper's standards against hate speech and should have been rejected. He condemned the message, apologized to readers, and said the company was investigating how it happened.
Company response
Apology — Gannett
“We strongly condemn the message and apologize to our readers.
Investigation — Gannett
We are immediately investigating to determine how this could have happened
Source excerpt
The ad didn’t meet the paper’s standards against hate speech and should have been rejected, said Kevin Gentzel, the chief revenue officer of the paper’s parent company, Gannett.
“We strongly condemn the message and apologize to our readers. We are immediately investigating to determine how this could have happened,” Getnzel told the Tennessean in a report on the ad.
The Tennessean newspaper has apologized for publishing a full-page advertisement from an end-times prophecy group that announced “Islam is going to detonate a nuclear device in Nashville.”
2020
Tulsa police major sues media companies
Lawsuit filed
In September 2020, Tulsa police major Travis Yates filed a lawsuit against Comcast, Gannett, Public Radio Tulsa, Gatehouse Media and other media companies. According to the reporting, the suit alleged that their coverage of his controversial comments on race and policing portrayed him in a "false light." The dispute centered on how the outlets characterized his remarks. The available account does not specify the relief sought, the court's handling of the case, or any resolution. The event is noted in connection with USA Today Co. because Gannett, one of the named defendants, is part of that company.
Source excerpt
Major Travis Yates has filed a lawsuit against Comcast, Gannett, Public Radio Tulsa, Gatehouse Media and others, saying their reports portrayed him in a "false light."