Why is the News Gazette violating it's own policy?

The News-Gazette has a policy of not printing "letters published elsewhere". So why did they publish David Smith's noxious letter? I've found it published at least in part in at least five different locations:

• the Illinois Review blog
• the Freeport, IL Journal Standard
• the St. Louis Suburban Journal
• the Galesburg, IL Zephyr
• this Family Research Council press release