Bath Magazine 'sorry' for Boston bombings cover gaffe

A LOCAL British lifestyle magazine has apologised for copying a cover published in honour of the Boston marathon bombing victims.

Bath Magazine published its February edition cover - showing dozens of running shoes in the shape of a heart - to promote this year's Bath half marathon.

But once unveiled, its editors were confronted by Boston magazine, which published an almost identical cover last year as a tribute to the three people who were killed and the 260 injured when the Boston marathon was targeted by terrorists.

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Instead of the now-famous message, "we will finish the race", in the middle of the heart, Bath Magazine had written: "Love the Bath Half".

The free magazine has now been accused of disrespecting the victims of the attack, and of plagiarism.

"Hey Bath, who died in your marathon?" tweeted SI Rosenbaum, one of the senior editors at Boston magazine. Her team later wrote an open letter, saying: "You liked the shoes cover so much that you borrowed (others have used less charitable phrases) the concept for your February issue on the half marathon in Bath.

"We can't speak for the dozens of runners who donated their shoes to us for that image. We can't speak for the runners who are preparing to run this April. But we hope that if you were so bold as to borrow our idea, you will also borrow the spirit of that cover and make a significant donation to the One Fund in the name of those who were unable to finish the race."

Bath Magazine publisher, Steve Miklos, has since published an apology and pledged to donate to the fund.

He admitted: "Late in the process of creating our front cover we were made aware of the Boston magazine cover, and while we were inspired by it, we realise we have made an error of judgment by not fully realising its connotations in the States."

The organisers of the Bath Half have also issued a statement to endorse Bath Magazine's "sincere apology", and to note that the choice of content and design was entirely Bath Magazine's decision.