You may recall that Oprah Winfrey devoted an entire
show back in 1996 to Mad Cow Disease. On the show she had a former rancher describe how large numbers of cows are fed to other cows and how this could infect them with BSE. She also had representatives from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the USDA who said that our Beef Supply is completely safe.
However, even with all of the "scientific evidence" concluding that there was no risk of Mad Cow in the US, Oprah's Comment "It has just stopped me cold from eating another burger!" cost several beef producers quite a bit of money as beef prices dropped. Under a Texas Law "False Disparagement of Perishable Food Products Act" (you can tell these people have no sense of humor) Oprah was sued for slander. She won, but two important things happened:
She Met Phil McGraw
She stopped airing controversial shows
I think it is pretty obvious that Oprah has a real populist bent (Arnold Scwarzenegger notwithsanding) and she obviously has a huge voice in America. Today I sent her this note to encourage her to take on more issues like Mad Cow.
Dear Oprah,
After the events of the last couple of weeks, I wanted to express how grateful I am that you did that report on Mad Cow Disease back in 1996. Now that Mad Cow disease has definitely been found in America it is clear to millions of Americans like me how important your report was. The fact that you were attacked by the beef industry for exercising your right to free speech was truly outrageous and clearly demonstrates that they are not an organization which truly cares about the welfare of Americans. And although I understand that it has made you more careful when airing reports of a controversial nature, I urge you not to be afraid to report on current events that affect millions of Americans.
You know that your ability to reach people is a gift and so I urge you to do more stories like the one on BSE. There are so many unreported stories on the environment and environmental health risks that if you could do just one program every two weeks on one of these topics it could improve the lives of so many Americans.
---
I encourage everyone to send similar letters.