My charity tshirts made an AP article this morning and it's just rude.

[KyndCulture]

The "My Heart's in New Orleans" tshirts (mentioned in this article) that are on eBay right now are mine... and this bastard reporter didn't bother to check with me to see if they were for charity which they are, I've donated $150.00 so far from my cafe press store from these but am not allowed to say that on eBay. Now I hate the AP even more than I did before.




Katrina T-Shirts Amid Rubble By JAY REEVES, Associated Press Writer
Thu Sep 29, 3:26 PM ET

GULFPORT, Miss. - Some proclaim the wearer a "Certified Hurricane Veteran." Others state, "I survived the big one — Hurricane Katrina."

The T-shirts popping up for sale at stands along a highway once smack in Katrina's path offer travelers a chance to get souvenirs of the catastrophe, but some are just getting offended.

"It's disgusting," said Mary Ann Martino, whose home was badly damaged yet is providing shelter for a dozen friends who are even worse off. "People are making money off what we've been through."

Small businesses have sprung up in towns near the coast along U.S. 49, selling souvenirs of the storm that killed more than 1,000 people and displaced as many as 1 million in Mississippi and Louisiana.

The reaction to the vendors has been mixed.

Wayne and Melissa Rogers stopped at a stand Wednesday and paid $45 for three shirts, including one for their 2-year-old son, Zavier.

"We're going to save it for him," said Mrs. Rogers, 21, of Gulfport. "We have a trunk of stuff we've saved since he was born, things he can remember."

Katrina souvenirs are all over: eBay has "My Heart's in New Orleans" T-shirts for $18 including shipping, and rubber wristbands emblazoned with "Katrina Relief" start at $2.50 each. Some sellers say they will contribute to hurricane relief.

--snip--

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050929/ap_on_re_us/katrina_hurricane_t_shirts

[katinmn]

1. Contact the reporter and his editor NOW!!

They need to do a follow up and a correction.

[KyndCulture]

5. totally piss poor lazy reporting.

I did write to them as soon as I saw this. My email address is right there in the auction he could have easily fact checked this. Plus my website says they are for charity and that's linked too.

[katinmn]

7. AP will never let the facts get in the way of a good story

They are getting as bad as the NYT!

[bananas]

12. AP contact info

http://www.ap.org/pages/contact/contact.html

[Starbucks Anarchist]

2. Good on you for your charity.

But why can't you mention it on eBay? Is it against the rules?

The reason I ask is because I know Jay Leno is auctioning that motorcycle with celebrity autographs on eBay specifically for hurricane relief.

[KyndCulture]

3. Yes it's against the rules

unless you go through their specific charity site which doesn't donate to Noah's Wish and that's one of the Charities we are supporting. Plus, i don't trust eBay not to keep some of the money, so I'd rather donate myself.

I got in big trouble with them a few weeks ago for saying they were for charity.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

4. Oh, I see.

That sucks, but keep up the good work.

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. Even bad publicity

can be better then no publicity. Especially since you can call them on their bs and turn the story around on them. I hope you get a lot of business has a result.

Funny thing, no one seemed to mind all the 9-11 t-shirts that were everywhere after the attack?

[KyndCulture]

8. This reporter must have been desperate for a story.

cause this is such a non story. But I agree, I hope I can make another donation soon for the furbabies from this assinine article.

[Lasher]

9. Upset about selling a few T shirts?

"People are making money off what we've been through." What a crock! Selling a few T shirts like this is not exploiting others in any way. Besides, this is nothing. Want something to be upset about?

How about suspension of the Davis-Bacon Act? How about putting Propaganda Minister Karl Rove in charge of awarding no-bid reconstruction contracts to his friends? How about even more tax breaks for the rich (Paris Hilton tax cut, etc.) while we borrow more money to pay for the reconstruction? There's some real exploitation, if that's what they really want to discuss! :mad:

[KyndCulture]

10. That was just about the exact thing I said in my email to the AP.

About their stupid non story.... :nuke:

[bananas]

13. What email address did you use?

I didn't see one with the story.

[KyndCulture]

14. I used this one from AP's website.

[email protected]

I couldn't find one for this specific reporter.

[bananas]

15. Good luck

That's the one listed on the contact page.
They also list phone numbers for local bureaus,
might get a faster response.
Good luck.

http://www.ap.org/pages/contact/contact.html

Minneapolis
Business & Tech Center
511 11th Ave. S., Suite 460
Minneapolis MN 55415-1536
[phone]
342-5299 Fax

St. Paul
75 King Blvd., Rm. B-28
St. Paul MN 55155-1601
[phone]
222-2208 Fax

[chat_noir]

11. question

Can you edit your ebay listing to link to this thread?

Thanks for what you are doing!