by Charles E. Brown Seattle Times staff reporter
The World Trade Organization protest has found its way not just into the news, but into the news boxes. At some news boxes in the Seattle area this morning, copies of today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer were found wrapped with a counterfeit four-page section. The front page displayed a top story with the headline: "Boeing to move overseas."
While it was unknown how widespread the tampering was, the bogus wraps were found in at least three locations, and a reader reported finding another at a news box at the Vashon Island ferry terminal.
The knockoff identified itself as "Seattle Post Intelligence" - with the "r" left off.
Other stories on the fake front page carried such headlines as "Clinton pledges help for poorest nations," "Monsanto patents food chain," "Economists fear global epidemic of underpollution," and "WTO Director power grab."
Atop the front page were teasers - "Congress Scraps One F22," "Mumia Freed," and "Jordon(sic) gives Nike the boot" - with references to inside pages. A listing of upcoming WTO protest events dominates the back page.
"We have yet to find a Seattle Times with the fake wrap. But it doesn't mean they're not out there," said Mike Sheehan, home-delivery manager for The Times. Sheehan said it appeared the P-I's flag had been scanned in, omitting the final "r."
"It looks like the P.I.," he said. "It's very well done."
Adding the wraps to the regular paper would not be a daunting task, he said. "Once you open the (news) box, you could just get all of the papers out and redo them. So it would cost you 50 cents a box."
Sheehan said the company's drivers placing copies of The Times in news boxes today would be on the lookout for phony pages. "We've alerted our drivers, and called some of our dealers," he said.
Charles E. Brown's phone: 206-464-2206. E-mail: cbrown at seattletimes.com
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