Hi there, I want to alert folks who haven't heard already about the upcoming lawsuit by Texas cattlemen against Oprah Winfrey which could become precedent-setting "McLibel USA."I'm the co-author with John Stauber of "Mad Cow U.S.A.: Could the Nightmare Happen Here?" which was published in November by Common Courage Press. Our second chapter deals with Oprah's show about mad cow disease, which has prompted a multi-million dollar "food disparagement" lawsuit against her by Texas cattlemen.
We see the Oprah lawsuit as an important and potentially precedent-setting case that threatens to undermine free speech and first amendment rights surrounding public debates about food safety issues.
My co-author and I are continuing to write about the "Oprah lawsuit" and would be very interested in corresponding with anyone who is familiar with the topic.
If you are interested in seeing what we have to say about the subject, the news release below gives a brief summary, plus a website reference for more information. Please feel free to repost it or use it in any other way that you see fit.
Thanks for your attention,
Sheldon Rampton
(NEWS RELEASE FOLLOWS)
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OPRAH'S 'MAD COW' TRIAL STARTS JAN. 20 IN TEXAS
A JURY WILL DECIDE A HISTORIC TEST OF 'FOOD DISPARAGEMENT LAWS'
VERSUS FIRST AMENDMENT AND FREE SPEECH RIGHTS
Talk show host Oprah Winfrey and her guest Howard Lyman will be in U.S. District Court in Amarillo, Texas on Jan. 20th defending their free speech rights against a novel lawsuit brought by Texas cattlemen. The cattlemen allege that an April 16, 1996, Oprah Winfrey Show violated a new Texas law forbidding 'food disparagement' when it aired a discussion of human deaths from British mad cow disease and related risks in the United States.
The offending program was in fact a serious, balanced debate among representatives of the meat industry, government and consumers. To read what Oprah and her guests said, see "Shut Up and Eat: Food Censorship Arrives in America," a special report in the 2nd Quarter 1997 issue of PR Watch, which investigates industry efforts to censor public debates. It is available on the world-wide web at http://www.prwatch.org/97-Q2/TOC.html
A nationally coordinated campaign by the food industry has succeeded in enacting food disparagement laws in thirteen states. The Oprah Winfrey trial will be a crucial first test of the constitutionality of the new laws.
Critics note that food disparagement laws undermine first amendment rights by shifting the burden of proof to those who discuss or investigate food issues. The laws enable industry to sue or intimidate anyone who speaks or writes about mad cow disease, e.coli deaths, salmonella poisoning, genetically engineered crops and animals, hormones, antibiotics, factory farming, pesticides, toxins in fertilizers and other controversies.
PR Watch editors John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton view food disparagement laws as a dangerous threat to public health, food safety, free speech, open debate and the public's right-to-know. If someone as popular and powerful as Oprah Winfrey can be muzzled by the meat industry, what chance do 'typical' citizens and journalists have to fully exercise their first amendment rights?
Stauber and Rampton are also authors of the new book, "Mad Cow U.S.A.: Could the Nightmare Happen Here?" which examines in depth the Oprah case and food disparagement laws. For more information, visit the website of the Center for Media & Democracy at http://www.prwatch.org
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