Animal Rights

Dying for a Bacon-Wrapped Cheeseburger

Saying "he was seduced 'with a bacon-wrapped cheeseburger'," Florida millionaire Jody Gorran filed a lawsuit against Atkins Nutritionals and the estate of the late Dr. Atkins. Gorran required surgery to open a 99 percent blocked coronary artery after following the high-fat, high-protein Atkins diet for two years.

Tyson Opens 'Animal Well-Being' Office

"Tyson Foods has opened an office of Animal Well-Being, seeking to assure retail and food-service customers as well as consumers that it takes humane animal handling seriously," PR Week reports.
"Animal-rights groups fault large American meat and poultry processors for what they see as inhumane handling of animals. These groups have protested in public for years about the plight of animals raised by companies like Tyson.
... The new office will oversee audits of animal-handling practices and make them available to customers on request, but likely wouldn't publicly disclose audit results.

PR Plan For National Zoo

"While officials at Washington D.C.'s National Zoo are trying to keep the public's focus on the positive, behind the scenes they've begun a massive public relations campaign to manage the fallout from the rash of unusual, and unnatural animal deaths," CBS News' Sharyl Attkisson reports. The zoo has hired PR giant Hill & Knowlton to help shape its response to Washington Post stories scrutinizing it.

Will 'Dolphin-Safe' Tuna Really Mean 'Dolphin-Dead'?

"Two former government scientists who
spent years investigating stress in dolphin populations
charged this week that superiors at their federally
financed laboratory shut down their research because it
clashed with policy goals of the Clinton and Bush
administrations. The scientists ... said their research indicated that the practice of chasing and encircling dolphins to catch tuna exposed the
dolphins to dangerous amounts of stress. The accusations, by Dr. Albert Myrick, a wildlife
biologist, and Dr.

PR Attack Dog Berman Dishes It Out, But Can't Take It

Tobacco PR lobbyist Rick Berman runs a lucrative business smearing public interest groups through his industry-funded fronts such as ConsumerFreedom.com and Activistcash.com. Berman can dish it out, but apparently he can't take it, nor stand the truth. He is threatening to sue food safety activist Jeff Nelson of VegSource for revealing that Berman lines his own pockets from his "non-profit" enterprises. According to Nelson, "Berman claims he wants to 'expose' funding sources of non-profit activist organizations.

Tobacco Lobbyist Talks Turkey, Shoots Messengers

A food industry website reports that lobbyist Rick Berman addressed Tuesday's annual meeting of the National Turkey Association. "What many of you don't understand is just how many different ways this industry is being attacked by groups. They are coming at you all from the animal rights side, as well as biotechnology, antibiotics hysteria, anti-corporate, labor and the factory farms angle. ...

Cockfighters Fight Back With PR

While cockfighting is only legal in three states -- New Mexico, Louisiana, and Oklahoma -- interstate shipment of gamecocks is still allowed. However federal lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have been trying to pass legislation that "could put breeders out of business and cramp cockfighting everywhere," according to the Wall Street Journal.

Zeal for Veal

Veal USA, representing US veal producers, is planning a national campaign to promote veal consumption and to counter concerns about inhumane treatment of veal calves. "We're also trying to put back the glamour and the elegance of veal," said Laura Vermeire, VP of marketing.

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