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 August 17, 2000 |
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Thousands of proponents of organic food and truth in journalism tuned into the August 11 edition of ABC'c weekly news show 20/20, to watch "contrarian" commentator John Stossel apologize for inaccuracies and misrepresentations durning a highly publicized attack he delivered against organic foods last February and again in July. The original report contained a lot of factual errors, including an infamous "test" that had reportedly shown no pesticide residue on conventional produce. After the New York Times reported that Stossel had continued to refer to this test even after it had been clearly demonstrated to him that the test had never been done and that all the data had been fabricated, a firestorm of controversy led to Stossel's bosses to demand he issue a public apology. Stossel appeared deeply uncomfortable as he squirmed his way though several of the most glaring misdeeds over the course of 2 1/2 minutes. It was heartening to see some of the facts come to light - but at the same time, the apology fell far short in two important respects. First, he failed to include of the attack's flaws, including the use of a chemical industry shill, Dennis Avery, as a supposedly objective witness, and a dubious editing job of an interview with Organic Trade Association's Katherine DiMatteo. And he neglected to mention that by exposing the lies and misrepresentions of the original broadcast, that the entire premise of the original episode was completely flawed and needed to be recanted as a whole. Secondly, and this is more significant, he refused to accept any responsibility for his role in the original lies as well as the cover-up. He actually attempted to convey the impression that he was unaware he was presenting fabricated data even though it is well documented that he at least knew the truth and chose to lie anyway. The Environmental Working Group, which exposed the original scandal, is taking the position that the apology was insincere and incomplete, and they are still calling for his resignation, as are dozens of other environmental, natural foods, and truth in journalism groups. Vegan Street is also taking the position that lying on national television with intent to defame an way of life that has different values than those of his well-heeled corporate backers (Stossel has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from industry trade groups for speaking engagements) is an unpardonable offense, and that ABC should demand his resignation in order to preserve their own credibility. See editorial As John Stossel so eloquntly put it at the end of his apology, "All we have is our credibility" In your case, John, you don't even have that. This is the address to send general comments to ABC News: This is John Stossel's message board: You can also email Stossel directly at stossel@abc.com or the show 20/20 at 2020@abc.com Want to learn more about John Stossel, the hack for hire? Read a report from the media watch group, Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting Also, Salon magazine has written a story about Stossel: Prime Time Propogandist |
John Stossel Apologizes for "Mistakes" in Organic Attack