June 04, 2009 | OAAA Response to Obama Birth Certificate Billboards

The outdoor advertising industry has a longstanding and routine practice of determining what copy it will accept or reject. An outdoor advertising company has the right to reject any copy for any reason. For example, the OAAA Code of Principles clearly states companies have the right to reject content they deem misleading, offensive, or otherwise incompatible with individual community standards.

In the situation of the Obama birth certificate billboards, there is no First Amendment question. The First Amendment applies to governmental restrictions on speech, not on the decisions of outdoor advertising companies.

We strongly stand behind the right of our companies to reject this or any other copy.