UPDATE, August 23:
Premier Event Co, the group who sent the mailers, issued an apology for causing a scare.
"Although the project may appear unnerving on the surface, our true mission remains to create a fun, annual event that keeps business local, draws people to Gainesville, and gives back to the community," they said.
The company said they plan to donate more than $10,000 to the United Way, local high schools and Breast Cancer Awareness campaigns, according to the apology.
Future mailers have been redesigned after the feedback, according to the apology.
ORIGINAL STORY:
This week, multiple Gainesville media outlets received letters pieced together from construction paper drizzled in fake blood.
Gainesville Police received multiple calls over the past few days from frightened recipients of the poorly designed promotional letter, said GPD spokesperson Officer Ben Tobias.
An explanation for the letter was missing. The note was a marketing ploy meant to advertise the opening of “The Torment Factory,” which is an upcoming local “live-haunt attraction.”
Officers traced the address on the envelope to a P.O. Box and revealed that the letters were sent by tormentfactory.com, Tobias said. After identifying the sender, GPD verified the intent of the campaign was not malicious, according to an email from Tobias.
The reporters and editors at the Gainesville Sun were confused about the letters, said Douglas
Ray, the editor and general manager for the Gainesville Sun and the Ocala Star Banner.
“The style of the letter was kind of odd, in that while it’s put together like a ransom note or something like that, it’s kind of also bright and cheery and laminated,” Ray said.
While the blood on the materials was proven to be fake, the message was still aggressive reading, “I’ve been watching you. I’ve enjoyed your craft and can’t wait to show you mine - Ag.”
However, the arrival of the letters did resurface thoughts about newsroom security, Ray said. It’s a tenuous time for journalists following the shooting at the Capitol Gazette.
Since the shooting, The Sun has taken more security precautions, Ray said.
“Given the mass shootings that we’ve had, people are a little more on edge right now than they might otherwise be,” Ray said. “I think the press right now feels a little more under assault than ever before in my career.”
Editor's note: The author of this story also received a promotional letter after she had begun writing the article.
Contact Bailey LeFever at blefever@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @blefever10
