News on Akre/Wilson Winning Goldman Award for rBGH Work

The
AGRIBUSINESS EXAMINER
Montioring Corporate Agribusiness From a Public Interest Perspective
A.V. Krebs Editor\Publisher

Issue #113
April 24, 2001

REPORTERS AKRE-WILSON AWARDED
PRESTIGIOUS GOLDMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE
CALLED "NOBEL PRIZE FOR GRASSROOTS WORK"

Jane Akre and Steve Wilson , the two Clearwater, Florida journalists who
risked their careers to expose the dangers of the Monsanto-produced rBGH
(recombinant bovine growth hormone), and were subsequently fired by their
FOX Network station for resisting pressure to broadcast a "false, distorted
or slanted news report" favorable to Monsanto, are among eight environmental
heroes from around the globe who have been awarded the prestigious Goldman
Environmental Prize, the world's largest award for environmental activists.

The prize is frequently referred to as the Nobel Prize for grassroots work
that aids the environment or calls attention to a significant environmental
issue. The wife-husband investigative reporter team are the first
journalists to ever win the award, given in six geographical categories,
which includes a prize of $125,000 from the Goldman Environmental
Foundation.

"We are both incredibly humbled by this honor," Akre and Wilson acknowledged
in receiving their award, "especially after spending the last few days
meeting the other winners selected from each of the other five inhabited
continents on Earth.

"The man who has saved the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, an indigenous woman
who has fought an incredible battle and endured unspeakable personal
hardships in her fight against an American gold mining company
[Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. of New Orleans, Louisiana] that is
raping her Indonesian homeland, the Greek biologist who brought feuding
nations together to save a fragile ecosystem; these are some of the
incredible people in whose company we are so proud to be."

Akre also pointed out that "just as we expected, we continue to be
`radioactive' as far as getting new jobs in the mainstream media and we
remain essentially unemployed. And just as they promised, FOX lawyers have
filed their appeal that is slowing grinding through the Florida court
system. Steve has also filed an appeal of the jury verdict with regard to
his individual claim. The process at this first appeals level could take up
to two years while my successful $425,000 award is untouchable to us pending
the outcome." (See Issue #91)

Founded and funded in 1990 by San Francisco philanthropists Richard and
Rhoda Goldman, the prize annually distributes cash bequests to six of the
planet's most deserving "environmental heroes." Each recipient represents
one of Earth's six continental regions. Prizes are sometimes awarded to more
than one person in each category. This year, each recipient will receive
$125,000. The awards were presented at a ceremony in San Francisco,
California Monday night.

"The world is getting smaller, and the need is growing for everyone to take
responsibility for keeping our planet healthy,'' Richard Goldman, founder of
the Goldman Environmental Prize said in a statement.

"The winners this year illustrate how the environment is affected by wars,
international business, economic policies, and the tendency to put
short-term gains ahead of long term solutions. They also illustrate how the
courage and commitment of a single visionary individual can make a
difference for generations to come," he added.

Goldman Prize winners are selected by an international jury from
confidential nominations submitted by a network of over 20 environmental
organizations and individuals representing nearly 50 nations.

In discussing their thrill of receiving the award Akre and Wilson also
addressed their supporters throughout the world. "We want you to share our
joy in this recognition, the brightest spot in a four-year-long struggle.
We also want to say to all of you around the world, again, thank you! Thank
you for your support, your kind words, and your prayers. We could not have
survived and had the courage to go on without you. It has meant more than
you will ever know."


COMMENTARY:
AKRE-WILSON STORY DRAMATIZES
HOW THE NATIONAL MAINSTREAM MEDIA
HAVE BECOME DEFENDERS OF THE CORPORATE IMAGE

In accepting the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize investigative
reporters Jane Akre and Steve Wilson pointed out that they plan to use the
Prize's generous cash award "to continue to produce documentaries and other
projects to bring attention to genetically engineered foods, the state of
the American media, and other important issues that the mainstream press is
just not covering any more."

Judging from the initial press coverage of their award their work is
urgently and sorely needed. Throughout their four-year ordeal the nation's
mainstream media have consistently and purposely ignored their story and
avoided informing the public of their plight.

Their award was for their investigation of rBGH, a genetically modified
bovine growth hormone produced by the Monsanto Corp. To some environmental
and science groups rBGH can be linked to human breast, prostate and colon
cancer although it is widely employed by the American dairy industry while
being banned in Canada, Europe, New Zealand and Japan.

FOX Television, their employer, refused to run their four-part series,
because the network had been threatened with a lawsuit by Monsanto Co., the
manufacturer of rBGH. FOX instead insisted the pair air a report distinctly
biased to Monsanto's point of view. Akre and Wilson, however, continued to
press FOX to run their original story, and were subsequently fired by the
network in 1997.

Akre and Wilson sued FOX in 1998 for violating Florida's whistle-blower law.
A six-person Florida jury found that FOX had indeed pressured the reporters
to broadcast a "false, distorted or slanted news report" and Akre was
awarded $425,000 for suffering job loss on improper grounds. Wilson has
appealed his no-claim verdict and FOX has appealed the Akre award decision.

Not only has their story been nationally censored, but the initial news of
their award has been similarly, if not barely, reported on and those few
stories that have appeared since the announcement of the awards conveniently
ignore two key elements of the Akre-Wilson story --- the name of rBGH's
producer and the name of the network that employed the couple.

Starting with the Goldman Foundation's own press release we see such
evasiveness:

"Jane Akre and Steve Wilson: Two TV journalists who researched the potential
health risks of rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone)-the genetically
modified hormone injected into U.S. dairy cows to stimulate milk production.
The hormone is among the first genetically modified products approved by the
FDA. It is banned in Europe, Japan and most other industrialized nations.
Their resulting story proved too hot for the
local TV network affiliate for which it was produced and ultimately led to
their firing."

Reuters News in an eleven paragraph story headlined "Eight Activists to Get
World Environmental Prize" notes in their lead paragraph "A Rwandan who
crusaded to save his country's last 355 mountain gorillas, and two American
journalists who uncovered health risks of a growth hormone used by dairy
farmers are among eight activists who will be awarded a top environmental
prize on Monday."

However the story waits until the second to the last and last paragraph to
report:

"The U.S. winners were Jane Akre and Steve Wilson, journalists who
investigated the dangers of the rBGH growth hormone, which is banned in
Canada and Europe and many other countries but still used by American dairy
farmers.

"Their report, which linked the hormone to cancer, was pulled by the
television network where they worked after a manufacturer of rBGH raised
objections. The two have since formed their own news and documentary
production company devoted to exposing environmental and health issues they
say are often ignored by the mainstream media."

Likewise, the Wall Street Journal in a four column spread across the top
front page of their April 23 "Marketplace" section headlined "A Tribeswoman
Takes Top Environmental Prize --- and Grant From Foe." At the end of a
fifteen-paragraph story that concludes on page six of the section in very
small type appears:

"Goldman Environmental Prize Winners --- North America

"Jane Akre and Steve Wilson

"TV journalists who produced story about potential health risks of
recombinant bovine growth hormone, a growth hormone for cattle, for
affiliate of Fox TV in Clearwater, Fla. Story was killed, journalists were
fired. Last summer, a state-court jury awarded Ms. Akre $425,000 for
violations of Florida's whistleblower law."

While the San Francisco Chronicle in a bylined story by its environmental
writer Glen Martin reported on the Akre and Wilson award and their suit,
neither the New York Times nor the Washington Post's April 23 or April 24
editions carried news about the Goldman award winners.

And! . . . And!! . . . And!!! . . .Associated Press distributed an awards
story on April 23 headlined: "TV Press Win Environmental Award" .. .
.!!!!!!!!!!!