A watchdog group has launched to combat the growing wave of anti-vegan propaganda in the mainstream media. The initiative, VegMediaWatch, aims to hold journalists and news outlets accountable for publishing biased stories that misrepresent veganism and plant-based foods.
Each year, the meat and dairy industries spend millions of dollars on public relations to shape public opinion. Their efforts to vilify plant-based foods as “ultra-processed” and “unhealthy” while promoting meat and dairy as “natural” and “environmentally friendly” are paying off. As consumers embrace the misinformation, they are making food choices that are worse for their health, the planet, the animals and vegan businesses.
VegMediaWatch was created to reverse this trend. Through respectful, fact-based social media posts, @VegMediaWatch calls out journalists and media outlets that publish anti-vegan propaganda.
The mainstream media often uses their news pages to promote the products of their meat and dairy advertisers and to quash their competition” said Jane Velez-Mitchell of UnchainedTV. “VegMediaWatch is here to to hold the culprits accountable by shining a spotlight on the bias and propaganda.”
In addition to exposing false narratives, VegMediaWatch also celebrates good journalism, highlighting news and feature stories that fairly and accurately portray plant-based foods and veganism.
“Together, we can shift the conversation around plant-based food — demanding fairness in reporting and empowering consumers to make informed and ethical choices that are better our health, the planet and the animals,” said Velez-Mitchell.
VegMediaWatch encourages members of the public to support its efforts by signing up for the Rapid Response Team in order to receive a weekly action alert and by sharing and engaging with @VegMediaWatch content on social media.
