Bad Press...A One Way Street!

Today there was an article on the front page of our local Newspaper entitled, "Three Real Estate Firms Subpoenaed in Kickback Probe". I chose not to cut and post the link to the article because I happen to know that at least one of the brokers named seems to be a man of integrity and I don't want to give him the negative press. The article DOES go on to say:

 That's the Good Ol' Newspaper for ya!

"The Springs brokerages are not suspected of wrongdoing at this time, said Erin Toll, director of the Colorado Real Estate Division. "...

But the damage is done because of the headline and the accusation. I feel like the newspaper has free reign under the guise of "freedom of speech", yet when I wanted to run an advertisement with a local paper that said somewher in the body, "CHEAPER THAN PRINT ADVERTISING", my ad was rejected by the editor because it was considered "UNFAIRLY COMPETITIVE." How come the pendulum doesn't swing both ways?

You can all but damage the reputations of three Brokers and sneak a little, "but they probably didn't do it" at the bottom of the page, but DON'T say you can find cheaper advertising than the newspaper. Where's MY freedom of speech protected? I was paying for the ad. It violated no Federal Fair Housing, Regulation Z, or RESPA Law...

Something to think about!