LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Procter & Gamble Withdraws Ads from Dr. Laura Program |
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) announced that Procter & Gamble has decided to drop its advertising buy on Laura Schlessinger's upcoming syndicated television program. A P&G spokesperson told GLAAD that the company also plans to stop advertising on Schlessinger's radio program. In a company statement, a P&G spokesperson said, "We have decided not to sponsor the Dr. Laura show. There has been controversy surrounding Dr. Laura on a number of topics. We've chosen not to be involved with a show that will require time and resources to deal with this kind of controversy. We were offered this opportunity as part of an on_ going programming partnership. The focus of the show is intended to be responsible parenting. We have studied it more closely and decided it isn't possible to separate the broad range of Dr. Laura's opinions from the specific focus of the program. Stepping back, today there are lots of programming options and there are better ones." "GLAAD salutes Procter & Gamble's corporate responsibility and good conscience in its decision to discontinue advertising Laura Schlessinger's programming," said GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry. "By doing so, the company has demonstrated the kind of respect for fair_minded people everywhere that we would like to see from Paramount, which plans to produce and distribute Schlessinger's TV program this fall." P&G also has backed away from its advertising on Schlessinger's radio program. According to P&G spokesperson Gretchen Briscoe: "We currently do have ads on Dr. Laura's radio program, although for the reasons enumerated in today's statement, we do not anticipate any future advertising purchases." Criticism of Schlessinger's anti_gay commentaries has intensified in the last year, with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council ruling last week that her broadcasts were "abusively discriminatory" toward lesbians and gay men. Also, GLAAD and local lesbian and gay community members have been meeting with local television station management in the nation's top media markets about Schlessinger's program. Affiliates in Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco have announced that they will be screening each show for offensive or defamatory content. GLAAD is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 5, May 19, 2000. |