'Filthy Cheater' Called Out in Full-Page Newspaper Ad

Somewhere in Australia, someone named "Jenny" feels avenged, and someone named "Steve" feels ashamed. Also, a small-town newspaper has garnered some global attention. Per People, "Jenny" took out a full-page, “premium placement” ad in a local newspaper with the following message in all-caps: "Dear Steve, I hope you're happy with her. Now the whole town will know what a filthy cheater you are." The ad was signed "From Jenny," with a postscript: "I bought this ad using your credit card."

The newspaper, Mackay and Whitsunday Life—based in Flemington, near Melbourne—was "inundated with calls from the community" soon after the Friday edition hit newsstands. In a statement on its website, the paper explained that the ad generated so many questions that it felt obliged to issue a public response. First, Mackay says "Jenny" did not actually use "Steve’s" credit card. "When payment for the ad was due to be processed it was noticed that the name on the credit card was different to the name on the booking, so no payment was taken," according to the statement. Furthermore, the paper says it does not know who Steve is, nor will it reveal any information about Jenny.

According to Australia’s News.Com, the ad—which would have cost up to $1,500 US—certainly generated lots of commentary across social media, with most readers bestowing praise on Jenny and condemning Steve. One pub in Adelaide offered some sympathy to the scorned by posting "Dear Jenny, I’m Sorry, From All the Steves" on its roadside sign. Some commenters also smelled a PR stunt. "Good way of getting more likes and readers to your page,” one wrote. As BestLife notes, Mackay is a relatively small paper with a readership of 50,000, but it serves a touristy area near the Great Barrier Reef, and perhaps the ad has drawn some global attention to the area. (More Australia stories.)