Chicago Tribune reprimands contractor for T-shirt giveaway

The Chicago Tribune reprimanded a contractor who offered customers free Barack Obama and John McCain T-shirts as a gift for new subscribers, newspaper officials said Friday.

The promotion -- offered by one contractor in downtown Chicago this month -- wasn't approved by the newspaper, said spokesman Michael Dizon.

"This was not a company authorized promotion and it wasn't appropriate," he said. "The newspaper has always maintained a nonpartisan position in its reporting and in its promotion."

Dizon wasn't sure how many T-shirts were distributed, but said the newspaper owned by Chicago-based Tribune Co. received complaints about the giveaway from both employees and readers.

Newspaper executives do not believe the contractor was affiliated with either campaign. Nor do they believe the white shirts emblazoned with each candidate's name were provided by officials affiliated with the Illinois Democrat or the Arizona Republican.

The newspaper, like many in the industry, routinely offers giveaways and other promotions to woo new subscribers. The gifts include T-shirts and baseball caps, sometimes emblazoned with the Tribune's name or the Chicago Cubs logo, which is owned by the newspaper's parent company.

"It's just unfortunate that this contractor in particular didn't go through the proper channels to get approval," Dizon said.