4 NBC Affils Reject PETA Thanksgiving Ad

Four NBC affiliates broadcasting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are banning a commercial promoting veganism sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Associated Press,

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Four NBC affiliates broadcasting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are banning a commercial promoting veganism sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

PETA spokesman Michael Lyubinsky said Tuesday the organization wanted to air the commercial during the parade but stations in Raleigh, N.C., Columbia, S.C., Savannah, Ga., and Little Rock, Ark., had banned it.

Story continues after the ad

The commercial depicts a young girl saying grace at Thanksgiving, giving thanks for "the turkey farms where they pack them into dark, tiny little sheds for their whole lives."

The ad encourages viewers to "Go vegan."

Brad Moses, general manager of Raleigh's WNCN, said he decided to ban the ad in Raleigh and Savannah because it's not appropriate for the spirit of the parade.

 

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Comments (4) -

Jayhawk Nickname posted over 2 years ago
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"Ban"? Only the government can "ban" programming, which would of course raise First Amendment issues. The AP instead should have reported that the stations have simply declined the spots, which is the stations' First Amendment right (and public interest responsibility given that they, not PETA, need to decide how to serve Raleigh, Savannah, Columbia and Little Rock. PETA can then exercise its First Amendment right to issue a press release, thus getting more publicity than it would have had by running the spot. It's all good.
Tones Nickname posted over 2 years ago
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Yep, nothing like censorship by conglomerates licensed to serve the public. Make money hand over fist on political ads, but when a group suggests you don't eat turkey because they're exploited and cruelly killed for profit?!? Egads! How dare PETA?!
Gordon Hinds posted over 2 years ago
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PETA would be well advised not to push the issue of omnivorous eating onto hapless women who are doing their level best to hold family values together during Thanksgiving. Family gatherings are often fraught occasions, so bringing another level of tension - why are we eating a turkey you heartless mum? - could turn thanksgiving into a thankless occasion. So maybe the networks are doing PETA a favor. The broader issue of what we should eat (a personal choice I would think) is complex at best and while no one likes to see or learn about cruelty to animals, humans are unlikely to become on mass vegans. And if they did by some weird alignment of the planets, then the sheer volume of land required to feed them on a vegan diet is mind boggling. According to WHO figures humans need at least an acre of land to sustain themselves for a year. The amount of land required to feed the US population would be in excess of 300 million acres, which means much of the US food exports would stop, resulting in millions of people starving in other countries (sort of cruelty to animals I would think as humans are animals too.) Then of course there is the displacement of native animals and wholesale clearing of land to feed this large vegan population which is again widespread slaughter and cruelty to other animals species, only its indirect and by default... And then... you get the long term dietary effects of the vegan diet tat can lead to long term deficiencies in trace elements, which women in particularly are prone to suffer. Of course gorging yourself on McDonalds is not a good idea either. Do I hear the words moderation and balance in the distance? So the very principled stand of PETA is likely to lead to old women whose bones are bent and brittle, crippled by osteoporosis, the displacement of natural species, and millions of people starving. As I said, maybe the network affiliates are doing PETA a favor by protecting it from itself. Happy Thanksgiving.
nancyalis Nickname posted over 2 years ago
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I live in Raleigh, a former New Yorker. They don't ban ads for guns and ammo during hunting season here in Raleigh. I guess the 4 redneck cities can't deal with a difference of opinion. If you saw the film "Food, Inc", you would choose to buy meat from organically raised animal farms. The Tysons chicken farm (in NC) shown in this film was absolutely disgusting. I will never buy another product from them People eat meat, but animals do not need to be abused while they are alive. And whatever happened to freedom of choice? I thought that's why we were celebrating Thanksgiving in the first place. Good thing I Tivo everything. Don't watch commercials and hardly EVER listen to the radio.

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