KCI Airport Campaign 2024 Merch Sparks Kerfuffle Mostly Amongst Reddit Bots

A few tidbits that local media might gloss over. . .

- This level of petty is why it's worthwhile to tune out most political "reporting" desperately searching for a local angle. 

- Per ushe . . . The story should be about how most social media "reporting" is wrong. 

- Finally, dead-tree "reporting" takes online comments at face value when most of us understand that tech companies are now using an army of AI bots to drive the appearance of genuine conversation and engagement when most reasonable people don't really care.

Given all that . . . Check the cover story . . .

A photo of several Donald Trump-related pieces of apparel being sold at the shop, including a red MAGA hat and hoodies and T-shirts bearing the Trump slogan “Never Surrender.”

“Pretty disappointed is an understatement,” the user wrote. “Made in KC has been my go-to for family gifts.”

The post quickly generated hundreds of comments. But like a lot of political information that breezes into our fragmented and user-generated media landscape circa 2024, it did not tell the full story.

For one thing, a subsequent post from a different user revealed that the Trump merch was laid out next to a Kamala Harris 2024 hat and a sweatshirt bearing the Harris slogan “When We Fight, We Win.”

But even that level of political engagement is beyond what the local chain wants to be involved with, Made in KC owner Tyler Enders said.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Political merch at Kansas City airport ignites an online furor. Here's the full story

"It's extremely disappointing to see these products in a shop with our name on it."