PORTLAND, Maine — A Maine newspaper is objecting to the use of its logo on campaign posters modeled after real newspapers, but carrying fake headlines.
The Portland Press Herald reports that that its lawyer has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Republican Mary Mayhew, who announced her candidacy for governor Tuesday.
At the campaign kickoff, posters lauding the business climate in Maine were made to look like the front pages of the Portland Press Herald, the Lewiston Sun Journal and the Bangor Daily News.
The Press Herald says the fabricated headlines are especially problematic at a time when politicians make accusations of “fake news.” But the Sun Journal’s editor said she was “tickled,” taking the stunt as an implicit affirmation of her newspaper’s trustworthiness.
Mayhew’s campaign declined to comment.
