McSPOTLIGHT PRESS RELEASE 29th October 1996

http://www.McSpotlight.org/

McSPOTLIGHT IN COURT 35:

- providing daily reports of each day's proceedings

• Nowhere else can you get such in-depth and up to date information about the McLibel trial. McSpotlight volunteers are attending court every day to provide reports until the end of the trial.

• Now everyone can judge for themselves. McSpotlight provides highlights of the case; the evidence, closing speeches, and the legal controversies.
  For example: [From Day 286, 24 October 1996]
  Returning from lunch, Mr Morris .... quoted Mr Rampton (McDonald's QC), who had said that when the first McDonald's restaurant was opened in Costa Rica in 1970, some of the land on which the beef was raised had been rainforest up to the 1960s. Mr Rampton interrupted, claiming that this was not an admission despite having said it during his opening speech!

  Another piece of evidence regarding Costa Rica, was claimed by Mr Rampton to be inadmissible because it came from a statement by McDonald's UK Public Relations Officer Eddie Bensilum, who had not been called to give evidence. However, she had been interviewed by the journalist, David Rose of the Observer who had testified for the defence that she had told him: "I think the world would accept that before that time it was rainforest. We have to accept that. All we can do is to ensure that deforestation, does not continue on our behalf."

• McSpotlight also carries key articles about the trial from the world's media
  - in effect an extensive archive of articles and quotes.

Other disputes in the McSpotlight :

• In Camden, despite objections by McDonald's, the council made the 'unprecedented decision' to allow McSpotlight volunteers to film the proceedings of a planning meeting, in order to provide coverage of McDonald's attempts to obtain late night licenses in the face of local opposition.

  "Video shock in Big Mac licence bid"
  Camden New Journal, Thursday 17 October 1996; UK

• In East Grinstead, where local residents are objecting to McDonald's plans to turn a local pub into a drive-thru, McSpotlight volunteers attended a public meeting. They demonstrated the web site and showed the locals that campaigners around the world are fighting McDonald's and can win!

• Following McDonald's latest attempt to monopolise the 'Mc' prefix, McSpotlight interviewed the REAL Ronald McDonald as part of its comprehensive coverage of current affairs relating to McDonald's.

The McSpotlight Internet site was launched on Feb. 16th 1996 in London, Chicago, Helsinki and Auckland. It's aim is simple - to make freely available across the globe accurate, factual, up-to-date information about the McDonald's corporation and all they stand for (of pressing importance given the approach of the end of the infamous McLibel trial). Having now been accessed over 4 million times it has received coverage all over the world:

USA Today, Channel 4, Times of India, The Guardian, BBC Radio4, NBC TV, Die Tageszeitung, The Australian, LA Weekly, Helsingen Snomat (Finland), The Telegraph, Chicago Tribune, Korean Times, The Independent, Money OnLine Daily, The Observer etc

McSpotlight has been constructed by the McInformation Network, an international network of volunteers working from 14 countries. It is autonomous from, but supportive of, the McLibel 2 and the McLibel Support Campaign.