"I be leaving the Bee" -- a McClatchy PR campaign backfires

A reader emailed me about a PR campaign last year in Modesto. Management passed out "I believe in the Bee" buttons for employees to wear. Here's what happened:

Last year the Modesto Bee had a "I believe in the Bee" campaign. They gave us buttons and stickers, little cards were handed out to que us as to what to say to readers when they asked us about the Bee, or told us they were stopping their subscription. Well the "I believe in the Bee" has turned into "I be leavin' the Bee". Someone found a couple buttons and took a red sharpie and did the circle \ line through it. I have one, it's fun to wear and gets a lot of comments.