A banner ad reading “Diversity is the Trojan horse of terrorism” appeared on the front page of the Sturgis Journal on Tuesday, prompting outrage and accusations of racism across Michigan.
The ad, paid for by Bowersox Floor Center, was condemned by readers who said it promotes white nationalist rhetoric.
The Journal, owned by media giant Gannett, which also owns the Detroit Free Press, acknowledged the ad should never have been printed.
“An advertisement was mistakenly published in our Oct. 28 edition because our approval policies were not followed,” Gannett said in a statement to Metro Times. “We’re strengthening our review process to prevent future errors and deeply regret any distress this may have caused.”
The Sturgis Journal didn’t return our messages for comment.
Bowersox Floor Center, a Sturgis-based company, deleted its Facebook page after posting and removing two statements attempting to explain the ad. In the first post, the business claimed its message had been “misinterpreted” and was not intended to be racist. The second statement, published a day later, sought to clarify that the company’s criticism was aimed at “forced diversity” rather than people of color, but doubled down on the idea that diversity could be harmful to “unity.”
The ad, and the company’s response, ignited a flood of backlash online and calls for boycotts
“This one goes out to Sturgis Local Bowersox Floor Center,” Vincent Rezas wrote on Facebook. “Deleting your page after the community calls out your lack of an apology for using Neo Nazi dog whistles in our local newspaper makes me think we touched a nerve and my criticisms were valid. If you need floor work done avoid this lame ass Nazi establishment at all costs according to them diversity is the Trojan Horse to terrorism.”
Steven French said the ad “honestly makes my stomach turn.”
“It’s absolutely disgusting behavior from both businesses,” French said. Let’s be clear about what that statement really means. It suggests that people of different backgrounds are secretly dangerous, that welcoming diversity invites violence. That’s not truth. That’s fear-mongering.”
Alex Haak-Frost said he was also disturbed by the ad and questioned how it ever made it to print.
“I find the ad abhorrent and think it’s clear what the company intended to express when they paid to place it in Tuesday’s edition of the Sturgis Journal,” Frost wrote. “I also question why the Journal would publish such an ad in the first place.”
Gannett, which has gutted local newsrooms across the country to cut costs, has faced mounting criticism for prioritizing shareholder profits over editorial oversight.
Bowersox Floor Center, founded in 1991, has previously run politically charged ads in the Journal, including one before the 2024 presidential election that appeared to target then-Vice President Kamala Harris. It read, “A no vote is a her vote. Please vote.”
Metro Times couldn’t reach Bowersox Floor Center for comment.