Day 248 - 13 May 96 - Page 03

     
     1        A.  I recognise that newspaper supplement, yes.
     2
     3   Q.   Right.  I have the same thing, I have reduced it that is
     4        all.  Did McDonald's pay for this supplement?
     5        A.  Yes, in part, but I think to a large degree the people
     6        who advertised in it paid most of it.
     7
     8   Q.   Right.  So can we assume that if McDonald's paid for at
     9        least part of it that it represents McDonald's views?
    10        A.  You cannot, the editorial privilege was left with those
    11        who wrote the articles.  We did interviews, we made
    12        presentations, they wrote the articles.  We had no
    13        editorial control whatsoever.
    14
    15   Q.   So, just to clarify, you paid them, effectively, to write a
    16        supplement all about McDonald's?
    17        A.  No, I said we may have paid something towards the
    18        supplement, but there were many of our suppliers, people
    19        associated with us, who took advertising for their
    20        companies in there; they basically paid for it.  We may
         have paid for something inside, I cannot remember for sure,
    22        but editorial control remained with the people who wrote
    23        the articles and we had no control over what they wrote, we
    24        just gave interviews
    25
    26   Q.   Whose idea was the supplement?
    27        A.  I think it came from the communications department.
    28
    29   Q.   Right.  Is there a copy in the witness box?
    30
    31   MR. RAMPTON:  What of?  What are we talking about, I was reading
    32        another statement? (Handed)
    33
    34   MS. STEEL:   On the front page of this there is an article, an
    35        interview with you and a picture of you there; you remember
    36        being interviewed for this?
    37        A.  I do.
    38
    39   Q.   Do you remember anything in the article being incorrect?
    40        A.  Well, they got my age wrong by a long way, that is for
         sure.  I would have to read it again.
    42
    43   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I think the situation here is different
    44        because, as you probably perceived, with the students
    45        information pack.  It is a very short route to me accepting
    46        that Mr. Preston intended everything in there to go out in
    47        the name of the company because his facsimile signature and
    48        letter appears in the front cover, but I think so far as
    49        the supplement is concerned then, save in so far as there
    50        may be a McDonald's advertisement there which is presumably 
    51        done on their behalf, you are back in the same position as 
    52        you are with quotes in all other newspaper articles. 
    53
    54   MS. STEEL:   OK.  If you just read through the article that is
    55        the interview with you?
    56        A.  There are numerous things in the article that are
    57        wrong; as would normally happen, sometimes happen in
    58        interviews.  I certainly never said, as you get directly
    59        under my picture, the middle column, "at first McDonald's
    60        had to import buns".  We never imported buns in the United