Whether pizza, burgers or Subway sandwiches, meat related advertisers dominate the news outlets--we won't even talk about sports casts. This leads to free meat commercials on news stations and outlets and vegan bashing.
Consider:
A story published in The Atlantic monthly last year, "America Is Done Pretending About Meat," contained at least 14 falsehoods and inaccuracies about the health benefits of a plant-based diet as well as ethical and financial implications according to author Pala Najana. Read the story here.
A recent report on the outbreak of the screwworm outbreak on cattle producers on MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) omits the shocking fact that screwworms burrow into the flesh of living animals, feeding on their tissue. Happy we omitted that, advertisers?
An earlier pro-meat story, also on MS NOW, with anchors Catherine Rampell and Elise Jordan laments soaring beef prices shamelessly omitting the effects on costs of environmental, public health and animal welfare costs externalized by the beef industry.
While interviewing a barbecue restaurant owner whose business is impacted by high prices, the anchors and their colleague, Pablo Torre mentioning "juicy burgers" and a "growling stomach" in shocking departures of news professionalism and pandering to advertisers.
Despite the long duration of the story, Rampell and Jordan failed to interview nutritionists, environmental scientists, animal advocates or any other experts who would offer a broader understanding of beef's impacts beyond restaurant profits. The result was a one-sided narrative which addressed the affordability of beef instead rather than the true cost of producing it.
The mainstream media routinely portray meat as a cultural treasure, an economic engine or a victim of market forces. The animals themselves are invisible, as are references to the dire environmental consequences of beef production, including greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation and the public health concerns associated with the consumption of red and processed meat,
Newspapers also provide free meat ads and bash plant-based, vegan diets!
A columnist with the UK-based The Telegraph conjures up an imaginary beef ban to stir up fear of "green puritans" in a story called The Miserable Reality Of A Plant-Based Society. She calls meat eaters "those of us who value our freedom."
The New York Post recently gave a platform to carnivore diet influencer Dr. Ken Berry and his diet of "beef, butter, bacon and eggs" which he says helped him lose 70 pounds. While carnivore and extra keto diets were once the rage, many dieters are quitting because of electrolyte deficiencies, lack of fiber and other digestive and metabolic complications.
It is true that plant-based diets can be "lefty" which explains the reactive articles in the conservative Telegraph and Post. But Liam Gray from the Daily Caller, Curtis Slilwa, a Republican New York City mayoral candidate and Matthew Scully, a speechwriter for President George W. Bush, also support veganism and there are other conservative vegan voices.
What can vegans and those leaning in that direction do in the face of financially-driven vegan bashing and skewed diet and nutritional information in mainstream media?
First, recognize that meat-based advertisers have a huge effect on the content you are hearing or seeing. Secondly, contact the writers and editors directly with your awareness and resentment of their bias in reporting. They will likely hear you.
(Article changed on Jun 11, 2026 at 2:46 PM EDT)
(Article changed on Jun 11, 2026 at 4:10 PM EDT)
