Two CNN programs ran news briefs on a new study on movie popcorn from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, but omitted its left-wing affiliation. Anchor John Roberts mentioned the group by name on Wednesday’s CNN Tonight, but didn’t mention its liberal politics. His colleague Kiran Chetry didn’t even mention CSPI by name during her brief on the study on Thursday’s American Morning.
Roberts read his news brief on the CSPI study 12 minutes into the 7 pm Eastern hour: “[W]e all know how expensive popcorn and soda is at the movie theater, but you may not know the cost to your waistline. The Center for Science in the Public Interest tonight says it has the answer. The group analyzed how much fat and calories are in a medium sized popcorn from Regal, which is the country’s largest movie chain.” He continued that “an astonishing 1,160 calories and 60 grams of fat- that is three days worth. Add a soda to the mix, and the combination is equal to eating three McDonald’s quarter-pounders plus 12 pats of butter. The calorie and fat count was far more than claimed by the movie theater company.”
Almost 11 hours later, just minutes into the 6 am Eastern hour of American Morning, Kiran Chetry, who is Roberts’s co-anchor on the CNN morning program, gave further figures from the study, and didn’t even mention CSPI by name:
KIRAN CHETRY: Movie popcorn- a nutritional horror show. A new study reveals little has changed in the past decade. A medium popcorn from Regal Cinemas contains 20 cups, worth a whopping 1,200 calories, 60 grams of saturated fat and 980 milligrams of sodium, and that does not include the buttery topping, which adds another 200 calories and three grams of saturated fat per 1 1/2 tablespoons.JOHN ROBERTS: And how much butter do you put on the popcorn? Five, six-
CHETRY: You just keep pumping.
ROBERTS: Just keep pumping.
Neither Roberts on Wednesday evening, nor Chetry on Thursday morning, mentioned the left-wing politics of the Center for Science for the Public Interest. They followed the lead of their colleague Wolf Blitzer, who read a brief about the organization’s “ten riskiest foods regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug and Administration” study over a month earlier on the October 6 edition of The Situation Room, but neglected to give it any ideological label. He merely described it as an “activist watchdog group.”
—Matthew Balan is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
You know, this is pissing me
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:22 ET by derbalYou know, this is pissing me off. We already have to put up with this crap tasting butter because of a "study" done a few years ago. Remember that? ALL movie theaters dropped real butter from their popcorn because some activist wacko group claimed "Eating just one small order of popcorn is equal to eating seven pounds of bacon!" I swear to God that's what they claimed. Now they're at it again.
What does the politics of
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:22 ET by JesseJacksonIVWhat does the politics of the group have to do with anything? Is it a left wing conspiracy to make movie popcorn look bad?
JJIV
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:26 ET by Cool ArrowWhat does skin color have to do with an individual's right to oppose the health care bill.
Maybe you should ask grandpa Jesse.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
The media has tried to
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:28 ET by Matthew BalanThe media has tried to portray CSPI as just another "expert" organization like the American Dental Association or the CDC, when in reality it has a political agenda.
What is their agenda
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:31 ET by JesseJacksonIVWhat is their agenda against popcorn?
Is it a left wing conspiracy to say that eating over a 1000 calories in one sitting is bad for you? I'm sure all that fat, sodium, hydrogenated vegetable oil is actually good for us. Damn those Liberals
Go to CSPI's website and
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:36 ET by Matthew BalanGo to CSPI's website and you'll find the following:
CSPI is now working to:
As one of the nation’s top consumer advocates, CSPI will keep fighting for government policies and corporate practices that promote healthy diets, prevent deceptive marketing practices, and ensure that science is used to promote the public welfare.
So basically, CSPI wants the government to have the power to tell us what to eat and drink. If you don't see what the problem is with that, then you're a useful idiot.
So you want your kids to
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:42 ET by JesseJacksonIVSo you want your kids to eat junk food at school?
Who needs accurate food labeling? I'd rather not know how many trans fats are in that bacon.
Damn them for want money to help prevent alcohol abuse.
They want fewer sodium processed food in restaurants? Pinko Commies.
We need fewer food safety laws. so we can get more foodborne illnesses
That's how you want it?
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:44 ET by Matthew BalanTalk about not seeing the forest from trees.
You were right the first time, MB
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 18:09 ET by BlondeThere's no arguing with these meddling nobodies.
I hope he fails, too.
"So you want your kids to
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 06:17 ET by ckc1227"So you want your kids to eat junk food at school?"
Oh, GOD no. How would this country ever survive such a thing? In fact, I'm actually rethinking that whole abortion thing too, especially for liberals.
RaceHustlerIV
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 17:12 ET by MrShyRegarding just how much responsibility and authority we hand over to the government, do you not understand the age-old expression, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts ???
Totally Unprofessional Response
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:49 ET by NoMoreClintons"basically, CSPI wants the government to have the power to tell us what to eat and drink. If you don't see what the problem is with that, then you're a useful idiot."
I think that is totally uncalled for. It's way beneath anyone writing for NewsBusters to call readers of this blog insulting names. Please save that for the liberals.
Having said that, I fail to see what is wrong with something like improving food safety laws or insuring honest labeling on food products. Would you prefer dishonest labeling? Use your common sense. The government mandates seat belts in cars and child safety seats. I suppose, Mr. Balan, that you think those are bad ideas too. While I certainly don't agree with everything CSPI proposes, they do lobby for many things that benefit us all.
Google is your friend
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 18:00 ET by Matthew BalanSomeone with the name "Jesse Jackson IV" isn't just another usual NB reader. Also, you're comparing apples and oranges. It's one thing for seat belts (some civil libertarians see that as a "nanny state" action, not that I necessarily agree with that). It's quite another to have "sin taxes," to encourage politically-correct behavior. It's like "hate speech."
Is it politcally correct
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 18:10 ET by JesseJacksonIVIs it politcally correct behavior not to have junk food in schools? Is it politcally correct to say eating 1000 calories of popcorn is bad?
Like every other group(Liberal or Conservative) some of what the CSPI does has a political agenda, but that does not mean some what they do isn't also good for the comsumer. When I go out to eat, I would like to know what is in the food I'm eating and how much fat, sodium etc there is. That the food is prepared in a safe environment. I'd like for my kids not to be fed junk when they're at school.
Gosh, Jess
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 18:11 ET by BlondePack your kids lunch and choose not to eat the popcorn.
Just leave me alone!
I hope he fails, too.
Don' like it?
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 18:10 ET by BlondeTough....go start your own blog.
It is incredibly insulting for you, as a "member" to insult the staff.
Personally, I'd prefer the government quit meddling with what and when and where I eat. You're apparently one of those meddling do-gooders.
Go away, leave me alone.
I hope he fails, too.
"The government mandates
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 06:23 ET by ckc1227"The government mandates seat belts in cars and child safety seats. I
suppose, Mr. Balan, that you think those are bad ideas too."
If you need the government to tell you to wear a seatbelt, maybe you're a useful idiot yourself. Do you need a law to requiring you to wipe your butt too?
Useful idiot is exactly the right term--- NoMoreClintons---
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 13:52 ET by matthewdeanfor Matthew Balan to have used in this instance, and was totally called for, and was in no way unprofessional.
There.
I just put alkali on your acid, and we can all move on.
MD
"There is no distinctly American criminal class - except Congress."
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
No, but it is a left wing
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 22:52 ET by fitzfongNo, but it is a left wing conspiracy that these parasites can steal and waste our money to tell us what we already knew. In a good economy, it's a luxury to tolerate obnoxious busybodies like Michael Jacobson...in the current economy, he's just another greedy shyster with his hand out.
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." -George Best
"Is it a left wing
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 06:12 ET by ckc1227"Is it a left wing conspiracy to say that eating over a 1000 calories in one sitting is bad for you?"
No, just more typical dumbass liberals being dumbass liberals. If they hurry, I'm sure there's still time to sneak into the democrats health care bill either an outright ban on popcorn, or a stiff popcorn tax....for the children, of course.
ckc---
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 14:05 ET by matthewdeanYou have no idea how many times I have thought about using the phrase for the children (from your 6:12 ET post) as a tag line.
Every time I hear those words from a politician, it pi**es me off cuz I know it is so phony.
Come to think of it, as are most politicos.
Right-o.
MD
"There is no distinctly American criminal class - except Congress."
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
What Politics?
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:39 ET by NoMoreClintonsHey, I'm as conservative as anyone else but I fail to see the connection here. I think NewsBusters is really stretching this time to see a liberal conspiracy in decrying unhealthy popcorn. I, for one, would like to know these things and from time to time CSPI, believe it or not, does provide a public service. The people on their masthead may indeed be liberals but, come on, there's no left or right wing when it come to health. Please save the (well deserved) rants for the left wing loonies on the news or in print. We don't need to see liberals behind every tree.
It's not just about being merely liberal
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:40 ET by Matthew BalanSee my post above.
NMC---
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 13:57 ET by matthewdeanTry to follow your own advice.
(Next to last sentence in your 17:39 ET post)
Cheers.
MD
"There is no distinctly American criminal class - except Congress."
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Pull your head out of your
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 16:57 ET by fitzfongPull your head out of your a**. CSPI doesn't provide a "public service". It's a collection of commie retreads who use the media to parrot their talking points so that they can enforce their narrow-minded "values" on the public. They employ the hyperbolic language ("heart attack on a plate", for example) and the half-baked "studies", not to inform the public, but to create health-related hysteria to soften the public to more taxes, more parasitic regulation and more bureaucratic hurdles to personal freedom. This mob, like the "Global Warming" eco-Marxists, use junk science and rhetorical hyperbole to create crises out of wholecloth...then they stand back and pretend to be honest, ideologically detached "canary in a coal mine"-types. The symbols may be different, polar bears and obese children may have replaced the "oppressed worker" as the "beneficiaries" of this Marxist movement, but the color of the flag is every bit as red as it was before. If you're not smart enough to recognize a Trojan Horse when you see one, don't chastise those of us who are smart enough when we point it out.
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." -George Best
Must be a slow news day...
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:36 ET by Red Jeep...the media seems to run this story at least once a year, like its yearly "shark scare" stories the start of every summer.
CSPI running out of targets?
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:40 ET by JeffC...Unhealthey movie-theater popcorn again? I remember when the CSPI did a story on that before and Rush Limbaugh made fun of it on his TV show.
People buy food because they like how it tastes. The CSPI should open up a movie theater that only sells carrot and celery sticks and tap water and see how long it stays in business.
After CSPI went after movie popcorn 15+ years ago, I think they went after comfort food at restaurants like Denny's. Maybe they'll hit them again. I remember a spokesperson for Denny's responded on "20/20" that they had healthy items on the menu but averaged selling one healthy item per restaurant per day. It's not profitable to keep items that don't sell on the menu.
This is not about
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:52 ET by MidAmericaThis is not about popcorn. It's about control. Liberals are OBSESSED with having complete control over every aspect of our lives. It's what they live for. My parentsd lived into their eighties and grew up during the depression eating all kinds of things cooked in lard and eating lots of fatty meats. So did my grandpa who lived into his nineties.
Thank you
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 17:57 ET by Matthew BalanThank you for seeing the big picture. Apparently, not everyone does.
While it is truly scary that
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 18:00 ET by Mitchell BlattWhile it is truly scary that popcorn is unhealthy, here are two other studies that are somewhat reassuring:
-Studies show that if you don't pay for popcorn, you don't have to eat it.
-Studies show that if you exercize you can work off fat and that if you eat junk food in moderation, the risks are not so significant.
If not for the popcorn
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 18:46 ET by MidAmericaIf not for the popcorn what is the point of going to the movies?
If I went to a movie tonight I would have popcorn and would share it with my kids and grandkids and would not feel like some sort of murdering sicko. Our bodies are not machines. What happens to any particular food you eat is dependent on your own personal body make-up. I would be willing to bet computers are causing more ill health than most of the junk we eat.
It's about Freedom
Thu, 11/19/2009 - 20:18 ET by jon_torlinThis whole thing is about freedom, and this goofy "group" is all about trying to get the government to take freedom away from us, even if it's about the quality of food that we eat.
Take the movie "The Island" which Ewan MacGregor and Scarlett Johannson. Those clones are tightly controlled by almost every means, food, interaction, entertainment and so on.
That's what the group wants and that's what the Soetoro administration wants!
I don't want someone telling what I can or can't do about my health other than my doctor, or if I want to go to a health food store and ask for information about certain items that I am thinking about taking! I want to be the one that chooses what I do with my life, not the damn government!
This is America, land of the free, not Cuba, land of the oppressed!
Jeez, stay the hell out of my movie popcorn if I want to eat that!
-Jon
Nobody is telling
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 02:24 ET by ACWyou what you can eat. If you want the popcorn you can choose to have it. CSPI is simply providing information about the product and leaving the choice to the consumer. I still might get the popcorn but now I have more knowledge about its content. I wouldn't buy a car, washing machine, lawnmower... before I had down the research.
"Nobody is telling you what
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 06:27 ET by ckc1227"Nobody is telling you what you can eat"
You haven't been paying attention to reality much lately, have you?
Recycled news from 20 years ago . . .
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 10:05 ET by KylerkI remember hearing this exact same story about movie theater popcorn from the media about 20 years ago, back when I used to actually go to movies before realizing that I was just putting money in the pockets of the horrible people who make them.
It kind of makes me wonder - what do the folks at the CSPI do for a living? I guess when you're on George Soros' payroll it doesn't matter - it's sort of like working for the government.
- Somewhere in Kenya a village is missing its useful idiot.
seatbelt laws
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 10:22 ET by rayrushThis is an example liberals use all the time. Let us look at seatbelt laws. When they were first introduced every single state or city said they would be secondary offenses, meaning you would only get a ticket for not wearing your seatbelt if you were stopped for speeding or something. Now that everyone is conditioned to these laws they have road blocks in many states on Friday nights, just to see if you have your seatbelt on. In almost every state where they promised it would never be a primary offense they have changed the law and they stop you for no other reason than you don't have your seat belt on. There is no doubt that seatbelts save lives, but they do not save enough to justify this invasion of privacy. Do the math. How many people die on the roads of America compared to the population, and most of them are wearing their seatbelts.
"Why did you stop me officer, I wasn't speeding." Officer: "No your weren't but I noticed you weren't wearing your seatbelt. Oh and have you had anything to drink today, and is there any reason at all why you would object for me to search your car."
All good ideas should not be laws.
Freedom is much more important than than making easy money for local governments.
When people ask me "Don't you know seatbelts save thousands of lives every year." I say to them Don't you know millions of people have died to preserve our freedoms in this country.
By the way I always where my seatbelt mainly because it really helps keeping you in the driver's seat when going around corners after a few beers, not because of the law.
Health Nut in New York
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 10:53 ET by Peter-in-NYCI have to agree with the comment that if you exercise and don't over do it, that the popcorn isn't really a problem.
Look, I work out regularly - likely more than most people. I don't drink alcohol, don't eat meat (and yes I am a conservative) but when I go to the movies I want the damn popcorn. This is about choice. I really think about these things.
I haven't been to McDonalds in more than a dozen years, but I do worry about anyone telling me what I should be allowed to eat. BUT, and I mean BUT... don't complain when you eat at McDonalds every day, never work out and are 300 pounds with heart disease when you're 45 years old, with the argument "I didn't know, and these companies are wrong for making me fat and unhealthy."
hear here!
Fri, 11/20/2009 - 14:21 ET by jon_torlinI'm the same way, I just recently started working out the beginning of this year in MY desire, not anyone else's, to slim down and bring my blood pressure down. It was MY choice to pay a personal trainer to help me do this. It was MY choice that I've changed some of the things I'm doing with food and etc, though I haven't been completely faithful on that but am trying to do a low sodium diet.
Everything I've been doing for myself was just that, for MYself, not because the goram gov't decided I'm overweight or tells me I need to eat "right" or are applying THEIR standards.(if they tried, I'd tell them to F themselves) So I say again to the jokers at CPSI, stay the hell out of my movie popcorn!
-Jon