The Hightower Report

Newsvertisements

Perhaps you thought that television news programs couldn't possibly get any cheesier, more corporate, or more driven by the big bucks of advertisers. If so, you have seriously underestimated the in-your-face cheesiness of the Fox affiliate in Las Vegas.

The morning news show on KVVU has literally given McDonald's a spot at the news desk. No, make that on the news desk. Placed in front of the news anchors are two big plastic cups of McDonald's iced coffee, as though both anchors are so taken with the frosty drink that they bring their own to the set every morning.

Only, anchors Jason Feinberg and Monica Jackson never take a sip. They can't, since the drinks are fake. They are a glaring product-placement advertisement paid for by the fast-food huckster, which wants the credibility of appearing to be a natural part of the "news." Viewers are never told that the cups are an ad, and neither Fox nor McDonald's will say how much gold exchanged hands to put the Golden Arches on the set each day.

But what if there's a breaking news story involving the restaurant chain – like an outbreak of E. coli in the Big Macs or some mistreatment of workers? Not to worry, say station executives, because in that case, the cups would be temporarily displaced from the news desk. See – and you thought there were no ethics left in journalism.

Otherwise, the corporate suits running the place see no problem with this little deceit or with the further slippage of news into the dark hole of advertising. It's merely a "nontraditional revenue source," says KVVU's news director.

Lest you think this is a Las Vegas problem, McDonald's also has similar placement deals with Fox stations in Chicago and Seattle, as well as with Univision in New York City. Maybe this advance in "newsvertisements" will make it to your town, too.

Mighty Monsanto Gives Up

Every now and then, reason, outrage, determination, and citizen activism combine to defeat the forces of avarice and arrogance. This is one of those times – children, organic farmers, and cows have just triumphed over mighty Monsanto and its political handmaidens.

For years, this biotech behemoth has thrown its ample weight around in Washington, in courthouses, in the media, and in state governments, trying to force Americans to swallow Posilac. You wouldn't know the name of this artificial growth hormone, because Monsanto spent millions trying to hide it from consumers – an odd strategy for a corporation marketing a product.

But Posilac is not a product that people wanted. It's essentially a bioengineered sex hormone that's injected into dairy cows to force their bodies to produce more milk. It's not at all healthy for the cows, it provides no health benefits (and possibly causes serious harm) for humans, and mothers never warmed up to the idea of pouring a daily dose of sex-hormone milk for their children.

Thus, the corporation weaseled its way into government, getting a ruling that Posilac milk did not have to be labeled as such. That was not enough though, since farmers, dairy processors, and retailers began labeling their products as free of the artificial hormone. So, Monsanto tried suing them and tried to get the feds and state officials to outlaw the hormone-free labels.

But people fought back, and even such giants as Wal-Mart responded to consumer rejection of Posilac by selling undoctored milk in its stores. So, Monsanto has now thrown in the towel, announcing that it is quitting its Posilac business.

This is a major victory for ordinary folks who simply said no, refusing to be bullied or hornswoggled by the flexing of corporate muscle. For more information, call the Center for Food Safety: 202/547-9359.