what's happening?
the plan is to get the film shown on every cable/ public access/ alternative TV station all round the world all at the same time. not to mention all the cinemas, colleges, bookshops, cafes, web-streamers and community centres out there.
a coordinated global screening might just make the mainstream media realise that if they keep ignoring the important stories they'll soon be obsolete. (well, perhaps not soon, but you know what we mean). if between us we could get it shown in, say, thirty countries, it would reach an audience any broadcaster would be proud of.
the date of the screening will be on or around Tuesday January 12th 1999. this is the day that the McLibel defendants return to the High Court to start their appeal against the verdict and so the press will be popping in to cover the trial again. the appeal will help get press for the global screening and vice versa.
what can I do?
* please get in touch if you are able to hold a screening of the film. we can supply tapes, flyers, posters, press releases and anything else you might need - including interviews with the director and/ or defendants if you like. we do not charge for people to screen the film - unless they are making a profit from it - but do ask for postage & reproduction costs.
* please pass this message on to everyone you know who runs a TV station/ cafe/ satellite link/ whatever. also post it to relevant newsgroups and mailing lists.
* send us any and all suggestions for increasing coverage and publicity.
* let us know if you would like to be kept up with progress - or if you never want to hear from us again.
why isn't it on TV?
Proposed transmissions in the UK on both the BBC ('Heart of the Matter') and Channel 4 were blocked by their respective legal departments. Both companies have been threatened with legal action by McDonald's in the past, along with more than 90 other organisations in the UK. The film has been given the all-clear by the production's independent media lawyer and the trial has been covered extensively in other countries - in the US it was the subject of a special '60 Minutes' report. It looks as though the film will never be shown on British TV.
The film is being distributed the new way: as 'streaming video' on the Internet, on cable TV in the States, at international film festivals, on home video, at local video screenings and by a travelling solar-powered cinema. Negotiations are under way with mainstream TV stations in countries with less archaic libel laws.
the full story, as told in The Guardian
what happened in the trial?
On June 19th 1997, after the longest trial in English history, Justice Bell delivered a mixed verdict. He ruled that McDonald's "exploit children" with their advertising, are "culpably responsible" for cruelty to animals, deceptively advertise their food as nutritious and pay their workers low wages. But he also ruled in their favour on other points (notably rainforests and diet & disease) and awarded damages of £60,000.
McDonald's abandoned plans to claim their money - or to obtain an injunction stopping distribution of the libellous material - after the impoverished defendants, who had represented themselves, vowed to go to jail if necessary. Half a million 'What's Wrong With McDonald's?' leaflets were distributed by the defendants' supporters post-verdict. The 'McSpotlight' internet site (dedicated to the trial and McDonald's) has now been accessed more than 40 million times.
More information: www.mcspotlight.org
