REPORTERS
How the War on Terrorism Affects Access to Information and the Public's Right to Know Prepared by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
REPORTERS
AKRE-WILSON AWARDED
PRESTIGIOUS GOLDMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE CALLED "NOBEL PRIZE FOR GRASSROOTS WORK"
News on Akre/Wilson Winning Goldman Award for rBGH Work
Issue #113
April 24, 2001
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" .. .