Finnish gossip magazine Seitsemän Päivää (Seven Days), also known as Seiska, has apologised for publishing a photograph of Lordi without masks. Our colleagues of DotEurovision.com wrote that.
Band front man Tomi Putaansuu, also known as Mr. Lordi, appealed to the media not to go in search of paparazzi images of them out of costumes. The monsterous band members have spent some years building up their image and did not wish to see it destroyed just to sell a few newspapers. Nobody really want to "out" Santa Claus, so why would they do the same for Lordi? Tabloid newspapers ignored Putaansuu's request and the day after the contest tabloids published, what they claimed to be, pictures of the band without costume.
The Daily Mail in the UK picture turned out to be of a completely different band, Children of Bodom. German tabloid Bild, however, and Finnish Seitsemän Päivää managed to find authentic images. The publication upset Lordi fans, who launched a campaign to hit back at the magazine. In just two days, almost four percent of the Finnish population had signed an online petition, demanding that the magazine apologise for their actions. Other newspapers reported that almost 5,000 readers cancelled their subscriptions to Seiska. Yesterday, several advertisers withdrew their support after receiving letters from those protesting about the actions of the magazine editors. Protestors launched a campaign to turn the magazine upside down on newsstands, something that clearly worked already (photo).
This morning, the magazine quietly published an apology for its actions on its website and promised to never repeat its actions.
