John Vidal
McLibel ,is the unlikely but true story of how a pamphlet called â€œWhatâ€™s Wrong with McDonaldâ€™s?â€ led to the longest trial in British history. In what has become front-page news around the globe, the trial pitted the multibillion dollar corporation against five members of London Greenpeace accused by McDonaldâ€™s of libel. Three activists capitulated and apologized; two persevered.,McLibel, tells the story of the â€œMcLibel Twoâ€ and the two-and-a-half-year trial in which the jeansâ€“clad and impoverished defendants represented themselves against the best powdered-wig lawyers McDonaldâ€™s could buy.,Does the fast-food chain exploit children? Depress wages? Level South and Central American rain forests? Subject its cattle and chicken to mass slaughters? A final chapter explores these allegations and details the $98,000 verdict against the activists Morris and Steel, which is widely viewed as a moral victory for the defendants and a public relations fiasco for McDonaldâ€™s.,Environmental reporter John Vidal covered all two and a half years of the trial. In the tradition of Michael Mooreâ€™s ,Roger and Me,, he brings this David and Goliath story to life, shedding light on the corporate machinations of a secretive multinational company, the British legal system, and the implications for any individuals inclined to critique a $30-billion-a-year powerhouse.
Nonfiction,Law,Politics,Food and Drink,Food,Environment,Economics,Social Issues,Activism
McLibel: Burger Culture on Trial