Jul 20, 2021

Axe Brand Ad Placement Beneath Axe Related Murder Headlines Left A Bad Taste In Netizens’ Mouths

An unfortunate ad placement beneath today’s headlines in Straits Times left a bad taste in netizens’ mouths.

Yesterday, Singapore was deeply affected by a grim incident involving two teenagers from River Valley High School. While the country is still reeling in from the tragedy, seeing an ad for Axe Brand oil in the same page where the report of a murder involving an axe is rather tasteless and insensitive.

It courted the ire of Twitterati and local netizens from various social media platforms.

Swee Leong Gan posted on Facebook, saying how this slip may be a reference for future case studies in the media sector.

Some were wondering how such an oversight happened.

Source: Facebook, Swee Leong Gan

Some speculated on the importance of money over sensitivity these days in the media industry.

Source: Facebook, Swee Leong Gan

Ouch, but there is truth in that statement. Print media is unfortunately out of fashion today.

Source: Facebook, Swee Leong Gan

But perhaps, there is some truth to the speculation considering that this isn’t the first time it happened.

Source: Facebook, Swee Leong Gan

Regardless of whether it was an oversight or deliberate, it still reflects poorly on the editors of a national newspaper.

Reporter’s Opinions: To be honest, my brain made that inappropriate connection to minyak kapak when I first read of the axe murder news yesterday. It is fucked up but I guess some brains are wired that way,

a man wear full set up suit, and touching his head and say "i think my brain is gone"

However, to see that thought translated on the first page of today’s paper made me choke on my morning coffee because it feels like someone violated the sacred space of inappropriate thoughts that I and possibly a considerable fraction of the population have.