Legal Accountability
By Trent Loos

I do not watch much television, but on Sundays I make an effort to watch Boston Legal. I enjoy the show because the writing is very unique. They incorporate issues of the day into an entertaining one-hour program. I was a fan until Feb 13, 2005 when their “issue of the day” targeted my passion - beef production.

The program is centered on a law firm in Boston that is the best in the business and rarely gets beat. Stars include William Shatner, James Spader, Candice Bergen and Betty White. On the episode in question, the firm represented a restaurant owner from a nearby township. The mayor was attempting to enact an ordinance banning the sale of red meat in the name of safety to prevent “mad cow disease”.

I will admit that the facts presented in the show were accurate, but I contend that the purpose of the show was to plant seeds of doubt about the safety of our beef supply. Consequently, I would like to file the charge of “unnecessarily fueling consumer anxiety” and you are the jury.

The day after the show aired, I called the office of David E. Kelley, Boston Legal’s writer and producer. He has not taken the time to return my call but I did have numerous conversations with their public relations person. My request was very simple: I wanted Mr. Kelley to join me on my live radio show to discuss the agenda of that episode of Boston Legal. After 10 days of communication with the PR person, she told me they would not comment any further on the episode and the episode would stand on it’s own. What is Mr. Kelley trying to hide?

We know that Kelley and his wife Michelle Pfeiffer are involved in the organic business. Pfeiffer appeared in the January 2004 edition of Organic Style Living in an article called "Green Buzz--the eco-chic trends in fashion, music, and movies". The couple has their own private chef who is very involved in the organic food movement. Pfeiffer coordinates events for groups such as the Organic Farming Research Foundation, a nonprofit directed by certified organic farmers to foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming practices. The Foundation was featured in the June 2003 Vegetarian Times.

In addition to the “green” activities of Kelley and his wife, Boston Legal has two characters that are regular spokesmen for PETA. Betty White is a very active animal rights zealot. She brags about starring in PETA’s first TV ad. Candice Bergen narrates a film on the website. Do they not have any say in the direction of scriptwriting?

In my closing arguments, I think is fair to say that while the show did not perjure itself, there were many statements made that would send the average consumer to bed that night wondering about the safety of beef. Members of the jury, I ask you, “Who is going to hold Hollywood accountable for these actions?” If we question the writers, they respond, “in Hollywood our purpose is to entertain.” Yet I contend that we have so many reality shows and more “news” shows than ever before. It is obvious that you can intertwine these concepts and the average American consumer does not remember, know or care if it was intended as news or entertainment.

I think that Boston Legal has surrounded itself with a cast of individuals who have an animal rights agenda. An agenda that you, members of the jury, must cast your vote against in order to send a message to Hollywood that demands they be accountable to the soccer moms of America who want nothing more than security regarding the food supply for their kids.

 

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