AdAge: CLINTON FOUNDATION TARGETED BY ANTI-OBESITY GROUP
President Bill Clinton’s partnership with Nickelodeon in a childhood-obesity initiative he formed with the American Heart Association is drawing fire from a consumer group that views the Viacom network as a culprit.
I don't know, this seems like grandstanding to me. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood appears to be more interested in a perfect world, one in which advertising doesn't even exist, rather than trying to compromise and actually get something done. I also suspect, without real evidence, that because Clinton is involved, the CCFC is getting the press coverage they hoped for.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is upset that the Clinton Foundation is linking with the childrens' network that is now challenging a Federal Communications Commission rule that would curb some marketing to children. The coalition of health-care professionals, advocacy groups and parents headed by Harvard psychologist Susan Linn cites its “grave concern” in a letter sent to the former president today, calling on him to reconsider allowing Nickelodeon into the “Alliance for a Healthier Generation” partnership. Instead, the group is asking Mr. Clinton to use his influence to get Viacom to stop fighting the new rule. Ms. Linn also points out that one critic of some kids' TV ads is another Clinton, the president’s wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.“Although childhood obesity is a major public-health problem, Nickelodeon threatens public health and the public interest by consistently using its media to market junk food to children and by undermining policies established to protect children from predatory marketing,” says the letter signed by Ms. Linn and Alvin F. Poussaint, a Harvard psychiatrist.
Ms. Linn said in an interview that she believes Nickelodeon is using the alliance to promote a positive image it doesn’t deserve. “It is outrageous what [Mr. Clinton] is doing on behalf of Nickelodeon because it is hypocritical of Nickelodeon to be claiming to form an alliance to prevent obesity, when [Nickelodeon] is one of the prime promoters” of unhealthy food advertising, she said. “Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob have become characters to promote junk food.”
Jay Carson, a spokesman for Mr. Clinton, said, “President Clinton is fully committed to do everything he can do to turn around the epidemic of childhood obesity in America,” but declined to go beyond that in describing Mr. Clinton’s reaction to the letter.
Ms. Linn said her group hasn’t written the American Heart Association, which is another partner in the endeavor. “We’re focusing on [President] Clinton because this is about policy. He is in such a powerful position to influence policy and is in a better position than the American Heart Association to use his partnership with Nickelodeon to influence their actions. Obviously, the American Heart Association should withdraw as well, but it’s [President] Clinton’s involvement that seems newsworthy and that’s what Nickelodeon is primarily pushing because it makes this campaign unique.”
Yes, Clinton is the target of this campaign, right?
Tags: Advertising, /propaganda, /Clinton
