UK: McLibel defendents step up action

Despite losing the case brought against them by McDonalds, the defendants in the so-called “McLibel” case, Helen Steel and David Morris, were heartened by the judge’s controversial comments on the food chain’s advertising to children and are now pressing the ITC and the ASA to “investigate McDonald’s practice of exploiting children in its advertising”. The Welsh Labour MP, Mr Cynog Dafis, has tabled a written question to the UK Secretary of State for the National Heritage, Mr Chris Smith, asking him to meet with the Independent Television Commission (ITC) to consider the wider implications of the comments by the judge relating to advertising to children. His comments included the following:

“McDonald’s advertising and marketing is in large part directed at children with a view to them pressuring or pestering their parents to take them to McDonald’s and thereby to take their own custom to McDonalds”.

“The defamatory change that [McDonald’s] use gimmicks to cover up the true quality of their food is not justified, but the sting of the leaflet to the effect that [McDonald’s] exploit children by using them, as more susceptible subjects of advertising, to pressurise their parents into going into McDonald’s is justified. It is true.”