The Tribune, a local newspaper based in Lake Crystal, Minn., has come under public scrutiny for a column some say is racially insensitive. The column, which is called “Ramblings,” includes a joke about a golf course replacing its caddies with shiny robots, which are quickly blinded by sun glare. To solve the problem, someone suggests the robots be painted black. The off-color joke continues with four golf course employees saying, “We did. And four of ‘em didn’t show up for work, two filed for welfare, one robbed the pro shop and the other thinks he’s the president.”
The newspaper’s editor, Don Marben, wrote an apology that appeared in the newspaper and said the joke was in “bad taste.”
“People found the letter racial and bigoted. We didn’t intend to stir up such a mess for which we apologize most heartily,” Marben wrote. “Our judgment on using the article was in bad taste and we’re sorry for all the bad feelings that it created. From now on, we’ll stick to something that brings out the best in all of us.”