Advertisers Bail After TMZ Airs Murder Video

TMZ-AChange.org, the online petition site, says that 25 advertisers have pulled ads from TMZ’s Web site after the celebrity gossip news organization posted video of a Los Angeles student’s alleged brutal murder outside a nightclub.

The advertisers include Chase, Toyota, LensCrafters, Velveeta, TBS, WeightWatchers, Fiksu, Xetum, Spike, Instaflex, Zappos and Turbofax.

Lowe was reportedly shot and killed on Jan. 13 after a fight that began in the Empire Nightclub in Hollywood spilled out into the streets.

Pleas from the victim’s family to TMZ to pull the footage went unheeded, according to Change.com. The family then launched a petition on the site, gathering 200,000 names supporting the request to pull the video.

“We want to thank the companies that have stopped paying TMZ to turn Andre’s death into a spectacle,” stated Jason Andrews, the victim’s uncle. “Andre wasn’t a celebrity like TMZ usually covers. He was just a young student eager to pursue his love of music. It’s been traumatic to our family to see TMZ treat his tragic murder as entertainment.”

advertisement

advertisement

According to change.com, the ads were removed after petition signers took to Twitter over the weekend, asking brands to drop their support for TMZ.

The petition, started by Andrews, stated that TMZ had “no regard for the loved ones affected by this tragedy,” and that “nothing is off limits when it comes to gaining ratings.” In addition to removing the video, Andrews demanded an apology from TMZ.

A TMZ rep did not respond to a query for comment. 

 

Next story loading loading..