THE CORPORATION (Canada: Zeitgeist Films, 2004) explores the rise of "the dominant institution of our time." It includes interviews with 40 corporate insiders and critics - including Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, and Milton Friedman - plus case studies and strategies for change.
Chapter 17 ("Unsettling Accounts") tells the story of Jane Akre and Steve Wilson, investigative reporters turned whistle-blowers. Akre and Wilson were fired by the Fox News television station they worked for after refusing to change their investigative report on Posilac, a Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) made by Monsanto. Their research documented potential health problems of drinking milk treated with the synthetic hormone. When threatened with legal action by Monsanto, Fox demanded that Akre and Wilson rewrite the story, and ultimately fired them. They sued Fox under Florida's whistle-blower statute and proved to a jury that the story Fox wanted them to air was false, distorted or slanted. The jury awarded Akre $425,000. Fox appealed, arguing that lying to the public over the airwaves was a violation of FCC policy, but not prohibited by law. The jury verdict was overturned and Akre lost her award. Akre and Wilson became liable for Fox's $1.8 million court costs, later reduced to $200,000.
Please answer one or more of the following questions:
- Fox News has a slogan, "We report, you decide." Based on the Jane Akre and Steve Wilson story, who decides what stories get aired on Fox News? Do viewers have the information they need to make good decisions?
- Where do you turn for important news about environmental and health issues?
