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Consumer Distorts is a website that presents a collection of criticism about Consumers Union and its publication, Consumer Reports. We know that it was posted by Steve Milloy, who has been a registered lobbyist, through the EOP Group, Inc., for Monsanto Company, the International Food Additives Council, the American Petroleum Institute, and other corporate concerns, according to public lobbying disclosure documents collected by the Center for Responsive Politics. EOP also represents the American Automobile Manufacturers Association, although Mr. Milloy does not appear as a registered lobbyist for that group.
Mr. Milloy has not answered a direct request from Consumers Union (CU) to disclose whether or not one or more of his corporate clients has funded the establishment and continuity of this website. By researching publicly available documents, CU has learned that the site is registered to iWonk, Inc.
Consumers Union vigorously supports open debate, as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and we welcome constructive criticism. However, we are concerned when the funding sources for Internet sites or any other information is concealed from the public.
Furthermore, we find that much of the criticism posted on the Consumer Distorts site is, itself, distorted. In some instances, the critics whose writing is posted on this site have exaggerated what we have published and taken it out of context.
As far as we have been able to trace, the phrase "junk science" has been coined by those practicing public relations and lobbying activities on behalf of some companies in certain industries--particularly the plastics, chemical, biotechnology, and pesticide industries. While its coiners may have legitimate grounds for debate on some issues, the phrase has been used far too often to discredit honest public interest organizations and legitimate scientists who express concerns about consumer safety and environmental risks.
In fact, Mr. Milloy has been widely criticized for poking fun at the death of a leading environmental scientist, Dr. David Rall, in his website's "Obituary of the Day." Even the Cato Institute, for whom Mr. Milloy is an adjunct scholar, called this obituary "appallingly offensive."
The explosion of the Internet has given new meaning to the phrase "Caveat Emptor" or "Buyer Beware." As Information Age consumers, we must be vigilant in questioning the source of--and motives behind--the information we see and hear.
For over 63 years, Consumers Union has been highly respected as a source of unbiased, credible consumer information due to its financial independence, its high standards for accuracy, and its commitment to the consumer alone. CU's objectivity has been commended by federal courts, Presidents Reagan and Kennedy, the news media, and most important--by its customers. We hold this trust in the highest regard, and will continue to do our best to earn it every day.
Consumers Union's responses to specific criticisms posted on Mr. Milloy's site are available upon request. We encourage you to search www.consumersunion.org or www.ConsumerReports.org for the original CU publications on which many of the criticisms are based.
CONTACT: |
Linda Wagner, Associate Director, Office of Public Information, (914) 378-2433 |
December 1999
