It is not true that most labels give the name of the conglomerate which owns
that label. (And with the fluidity of ownership, it may be hard to tell. Nabisco
cereals are not owned by RJR Nabisco, but by Philip Morris, as are Post cereals.
Have you ever seen any indication on Kraft products that they are sold by the
world's largest tobacco pusher?) Nestle does label many of its products -Ortega
Mexican products and that Juicy Juice which was recently discovered to encourage
obesity in children, and pasta products, for examples.
The corporate control of the media is a big part of the problem. In addition to
the media's financial dependence on corporate advertising dollars, there are
other problems. A recent issue of EXTRA, (the bimonthly journal of Fairness and
Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) $19 per year for individuals, 130 W. 25th St., New
York,NY 10001, 212-633-6700, http://www.fair.org/fair/ ) indicated the over half
of reporters, get over half of their stories from "public relations flacks".
(38% got at least half of their stories, 17% got all of their stories that way.)
The news from EXTRA! is always startling, amazing, depressing and well
documented. It demonstates the need for the kind of real knowledge that can only
come from growing our food, working in our communities and participating
directly in the process of living - precisely the kind of life that is
discouraged by the one-way media that encourages passivity, consumerism and
repeats each ad, play, or sitcom highlight almost endlessly. It is no wonder
children today have a difficult time learning.
Bill