Corporate sponsors express concern over CBS broadcast (01/15/95)

Corporate sponsors express concern over CBS broadcast

Ukrainian National Information Service

WASHINGTON - Five major corporate advertisers have contacted CBS to express concerns about sponsoring a segment of CBS's "60 Minutes" that impugned Ukrainians as "genetically anti-Semitic." The October 23 segment on anti-Semitism in Ukraine was titled "The Ugly Face of Freedom."

Since the broadcast, the chief rabbi of Ukraine has joined with Ukrainian American groups and the Ukrainian government in assailing the program as unfair, defamatory and not representative of positive developments for Jews and other ethnic minorities in Ukraine.

The corporate sponsors of the show that have expressed their concerns to CBS are: Allstate Insurance Co., United Parcel Service, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. and Wal-Mart Stores.

Their action was prompted by correspondence from Askold S. Lozynskyj, president of the New York-based Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), which described the "60 Minutes" segment as "blatantly defamatory, attain[ing] new levels of journalistic irresponsibility and...maliciously racist." Mr. Lozynskyj urged the sponsors to contact CBS with their concerns about sponsoring "racist hate broadcasting."

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. responded: "extremely straightforward discussions have now been held with key personnel at the highest levels of CBS and with our advertising agency." Goodyear added that "we...have strongly emphasized that...in the future, we cannot afford to be associated with news programming that is any less than totally accurate, unbiased and fair..."

Allstate Insurance Co. wrote: "we certainly regret the circumstances which have prompted you to contact Allstate...Allstate does not promote or support racist hate broadcasting and regrets any perceived association."

A sixth sponsor of the show, General Motors Corp., told Mr. Lozynskyj: "we share your disgust at the characterization on the program."

Another sponsor, Merill Lynch, wrote that, in light of the criticism of the show, "we will review the fairness and accuracy of [the networks'] coverage when evaluating our 1995 advertising."

The UCCA plans to continue providing information about the show to corporate sponsors of "60 Minutes."

Following the broadcast, Yaakov Dov Bleich, chief rabbi of Ukraine, one of the program's central characters, protested to CBS that he was quoted out of context and that the show "did not convey the true state of affairs in Ukraine." He praised Ukraine for having the best record of all former Soviet republics for treatment of Jews and other minorities. Another rabbi, David Lincoln of the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York, wrote CBS that, contrary to the broadcast, Ukraine is a haven for Jews and that "no good can come from distortions such as those portrayed in your program."

A formal complaint by the UCCA about the show is pending before the FCC.

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