Fired From Fox: Journalist Speaks Against Corruption

Widely acclaimed investigative reporter Robert Wilson came to Oberlin Tuesday evening to discuss his recent struggles against what he feels to be a corrupt television station.

Director of student activist organization OPIRG senior Margaux Shields introduced Wilson. OPIRG sponsored Wilson's lecture. Wilson has been an investigative reporter for almost three decades. He has worked for ABC, CBS and Fox among others. His investigation of the Chrysler Corporation led to the largest recall of automobiles in the company's history. He has won four Emmy awards in his field, and was recently given, along with his wife and co-worker Jane Akre, the Award for Ethics by the National Society of Professional Journalists.

Wilson's discussion began with a warning of how recent media mergers have created an environment "where news decisions are based on factors other than the public interest." Wilson and Akre know firsthand how corporate volition can influence news decisions; the team was fired from Fox's Tampa, Florida Affiliate for refusing to run information about the Florida dairy industry. The report centered on the use of rBGH, a growth hormone, by Monsanto Corp.

Though legalized by the FDA, rBGH is thought by many scientists to be, at the very least, severely under-tested. A great majority of the world agrees; the substance has been banned in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and in every member of the European Union. Florida's reaction to the rBGH hormone was similarly skeptical. Wilson stated that people "were dumping milk into the streets" in response to the decision to legalize rBGH. The reaction induced local supermarkets to promise not to sell the hormone-treated milk in their stores.

However, the supermarkets quickly learned that it was impossible to uphold the promise. The milk, which is distributed to the stores via a co-op, is simply mixed together, therefore contaminating the entire milk supply. In addition, the antibiotics given to cows to combat the side-effects of hormone treatment often find their way into the milk, causing a rash of other health hazards. Wilson went on to describe how Monsanto, who makes a wide range of products, including NutraSweet and RoundUp, filed lawsuits against small dairy farms who advertised that they did not use rBGH. Since the small farms generally did not have the resources to maintain the legal battle, they were forced to comply with Monsanto.

The station originally supported the story, advertising it widely the week before it was to air. Monsanto, however, sent a threatening letter to Fox's New York office, which in effect said that the reporters "didn't know what they were talking about." In response, Fox canceled the story for fear of a lawsuit. Wilson and Akre were first offered $200,000 to remain silent about the story, but refused, stating, "they didn't get into the news business to fabricate the news." A slew of attempts to make the story more presentable followed. These included nine months and 83 revisions, in which the phrase "warning label" was replaced with "product insert," and Canada's rBGH ban evolved into a "voluntary moratorium." "Voluntary?" Wilson asked the crowd, sardonically. "It's about as voluntary as paying your taxes."

The station replaced the general manager, who had supported the story. His successor expressed, among other things, a desire for journalists "who just want to be on TV." In December, 1997 Wilson and Akre were released from Fox, and proceeded to file a lawsuit against Fox. As Wilson put it, "Florida law states that you cannot fire someone for refusing to do something that is illegal, and you cannot use the public airwaves to lie to people."

Wilson expressed little desire to describe the logistics of the suit, other than the fact that he has delivered 62 depositions and has been forced, after selling his house and emptying his savings accounts, to represent himself legally. He has also founded the Citizen's Fund for the Right to Know to help pay for his legal expenditures. "You have to go into something like this head-on," he explained. "And I'm still confident that we can beat these guys." Fox, which hired former the law firm of Williams and Connely (previously employed by President Clinton during the impeachment hearings), has spent roughly $1.8 million in legal defense thus far.

At the conclusion of the lecture Wilson entertained several questions from audience members. He expressed unfavorable opinions of contemporary journalism. He believes that some hope can be found in alternative and publicly-funded newspapers; though, as these organizations attempt to appeal to a wider audience they inevitably acquire some of those characteristics which now plague the mainstream media.

When asked what he would do after the lawsuit, he responded with one word: "plumbing." Wilson's lecture was, in the words of Shields, the "keynote" of OPIRG's spring campaign.

Bovine University: A devoted student publicizes OPIRG sponsored speaker Robert Wilson. (photo by Brian Hodgkin)