MAIN NEWS HEADLINES

November 1-15, 2004 Edition

Wal-Mart Cancels

America Orders

Over Doctored Photo

NEW YORK, NY/10/19/04—A doctored photo that appears inside America (The Book), A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction, has prompted Wal-Mart and several other booksellers to cancel their orders for the new title, published by Warner Books. The photo shows the heads of the Supreme Court Justices pasted onto naked bodies.

The book, authored by Jon Stewart host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and several other writers for the TV program, has been at the top of the New York Times Bestseller list for several weeks. The work, intended as a satire, was released in September, and is still being sold on Wal-Mart’s website, though not in stores.

The book, a sarcastically funny spoof on the history of American democracy, is formatted as if it is a textbook.

It is difficult to tell how the Wal-Mart ban will affect overall sales of America, but the major chain generally accounts for about 10-20 percent of book-industry sales.