GENTECH archive 8.96-97
[Index][Thread]
Oprah & food disparagement laws
- To: mcs-ci@peach.ease.lsoft.com
- Subject: Oprah & food disparagement laws
- From: "C. W. Gilbert" <blazing@igc.apc.org>
- Date: Mon, 5 Jan 1998 20:11:19 -0800 (PST)
- Cc: immune@lists.best.com, owner-bangenfood-digest@MailingList.net, gentech@ping.de
- Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
- Delivered-To: gentech@ping.de
- Resent-Cc: recipient list not shown: ;
- Resent-Date: 6 Jan 1998 04:13:24 -0000
- Resent-From: gentech@ping.de
- Resent-Message-ID: <"E4R7r.A._OB.i9as0"@lou.ping.de>
- Resent-Sender: gentech-request@ping.de
- Sender: blazing@igc.org
"Hamburgers and Free Speech [Editorial]." Washington Post, 5
January 97, A18.
The WP comments on the case going to federal court in Texas
involving the Texas False Disparagement of Perishable Food
Products Law. A 1996 talk show about mad cow disease
resulted in Oprah Winfrey saying she was going to stop
eating hamburgers--two groups of Texas ranchers claim her
comment caused "a sharp one-day fall in beef prices and
subsequent losses in profit, though prices later recovered."
The Post discusses the advent of these laws in many states
following the Alar scare, concluding they should be
overturned: "Those who oppose such curbs on good-faith
speech point out that science, not to mention public policy,
moves forward precisely by means of debate, charge and
counter-charge over not-yet-proven dangers. The Oprah case
is a good opportunity to set this straight."