| CORPORATISM - LOOKING GLASS NEWS | |
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Still Covering for Wal-Mart-ABC report has no space for critics |
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from FAIR
Entered into the database on Saturday, September 24th, 2005 @ 15:16:11 MST |
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In an August 10 action alert,
FAIR wondered if ABC's
reporting on corporate giant Wal-Mart was improperly influenced by Wal-Mart's
status as a major advertiser on the network's news programming. While ABC
failed to answer FAIR's charges, a September 20 World News Tonight
report on Wal-Mart's business practices in China
once again suggests favoritism
toward the network's sponsor. Anchor Charlie Gibson began by mentioning the "kind of gold rush"
happening in China, where companies "from the U.S. and beyond position
themselves to grab a piece of the fastest-growing market in the world."
Gibson then turned to ABC colleague Bill Weir to show "how
Wal-Mart is changing the way the Chinese shop." Weir started in a more traditional Chinese market--"there isn't a refrigerator
in sight"--in order to contrast that kind of old-fashioned thinking to
Wal-Mart: "While hundreds of millions of Chinese still shop in places like
this, more and more are being lured by the siren song of one-stop shopping." Weir highlighted singing Wal-Mart workers and the "brightly-lit aisles"
where "China's exploding middle class is discovering the novelty of free
samples and a wide selection of everything." After one customer touted Wal-Mart's stores ("It's big, it's clean...and
you feel good here"), ABC turned to its next source: Wal-Mart
Asia CEO Joe Hatfield. ("Talk about price conscious," he says of his
customers.) The only other source in the report was Jim McGregor, identified simply as
the author of "One Billion Customers." (His role as senior director
of Stonebridge International, "a global business strategy firm that helps
U.S. and multinational companies... seize business opportunities worldwide,"
was not mentioned.) McGregor enthused about the new efficiency Wal-Mart has
brought
to the Chinese economy,
saying that Wal-Mart's suppliers had to "clean up their act to compete." ABC's Weir also praised Wal-Mart for that efficiency: "While Wal-Mart has changed the way people shop, they're also changing
the way suppliers think.... Many manufacturers were shocked to learn that if
they want their products on these shelves, it's not who you know, it's what
you know about keeping costs down." If ABC were open to presenting critics of Wal-Mart's business
practices--who aren't hard to find--viewers might have
heard a different perspective on just how Wal-Mart is "keeping costs
down." Many critics charge that Wal-Mart's practice of pressuring its suppliers
to meet unreasonable price goals results in serious labor
abuses. Other outlets, like PBS's Frontline (11/16/04) and
the Los Angeles Times (11/24/03), have managed to present that
case. And a recent lawsuit filed against Wal-Mart by the International Labor
Rights Fund charges that the company maintains relationships with abusive suppliers
in a number of countries--including China. Similar complaints have been levied
for years by academics and advocacy groups like the National
Labor Committee. But ABC apparently had no time for critical
commentary about a prominent advertiser. ACTION: CONTACT: |
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