Ackerman McQueen (AMc), the ad firm that created NRATV, on Tuesday fired back at the National Rifle Association’s claim that the firm created “distasteful and racist” content, charging that the gun lobbying org is simply covering up for its own alleged “systemic” racism and corruption.
“Ackerman McQueen recognized and handled the offensive imagery on the show, ‘Relentless,’ in a proper fashion, like any media company would,” the ad firm said in a statement to The Daily Beast, referencing the NRA’s recent court filing in an ongoing lawsuit alleging that AMc did nothing to “rein in” its messaging after Relentless featured an image of a kid’s cartoon character in a Ku Klux Klan robe. “We identified those responsible and put new processes and oversight in place. NRA executives acknowledged the corrective action taken by Ackerman McQueen, [and] were satisfied with the response and a couple months later, renewed NRATV for 2019,” the ad firm added.
AMc then trained its fire back on the NRA’s internal matters, writing: “If the NRA wants to conduct a public conversation about distasteful and racist, they should consider their systemic behavior.” The ad firm cited how the NRA’s top leadership “refused to address” the fatal police shooting of Philando Castile, a black man and legal handgun owner; “put their heads in the sand every time a board member said something that could be perceived as distasteful or racist;” and allegedly “ignored, and didn’t even watch” NOIR, an NRATV show hosted by Colion Noir, a black lawyer and pro-gun activist.
The ad firm concluded its lengthy statement by reiterating its claim from an early October filing in its NRA fight: “[NRA CEO] Wayne LaPierre defrauded Ackerman McQueen. When AMc representatives discovered what he, his executive team as well as the Board of Directors were really doing, and AMc refused to have any part of it, the cabal that is left at the NRA retaliated. Now they want to blame anyone else for the people they actually are.”
