ColorOfChange.org Fights Back on Glenn Beck, Gets Advertisers to Withdraw to Win BuzzFlash's Wings of Justice Award

WINGS OF JUSTICE

ColorOfChange.org

Glenn Beck has been a bunion on the foot of America for some time. The conservatives cry out, "If you don't like it, turn the TV off."

But progressives know that just turning Beck off isn't enough. His content -- devoid of facts even by conservative media standards and dangerous in content and tone -- proves that accountability has been missing from the picture.

When Glenn Beck called President Obama a "racist," this became the top straw in a straw field 8 feet high, 10 feet deep, and a mile long. Instead of sitting back and letting Beck go off time and time again, ColorOfChange.org stepped up and noted that this time, it's different.

So the organization rallied together and started a campaign, going to Beck's advertisers and asking them whether they really supported the views of the Glenn Beck program.

GMAC Financial Services, ConAgra, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, RadioShack, Men's Wearhouse, State Farm, Sargento, LexisNexis-owned Lawyers.com, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, Geico, and SC Johnson.

These are just some of the companies that have been swayed to not advertise on the Glenn Beck show on Fox "News" Channel.

And the list keeps growing: Keith Olbermann noted Monday night that eight new companies were recently added to the list, including Wal-Mart, CVS, and Best Buy.

ColorOfChange.org's message is simple:

Fox's Glenn Beck recently said President Obama is "a racist" and has a "deep-seated hatred for white people." Beck is on a campaign to convince the American public that President Obama's agenda is about serving the needs of Black communities at White people's expense. It's repulsive, divisive and shouldn't be on the air.

Join us in calling on Beck's advertisers to stop sponsoring his show.

Most boycotts and threatened boycotts are treated with disdain, especially if those protests stem from the left. But this time, the response from companies was swift.

They have been dropping pretty quickly. Some companies even pulled out the fancy excuses, such as their ads weren't supposed to be on that particular show. Maybe these excuses happen to be true, but when you hear such phrases, more than likely, they are so eager to jump off the bandwagon, they risk a proverbial sprained ankle in the process.

James Rucker, founder of ColorOfChange.org, looks at the situation this way:

"As Glenn Beck's advertisers learn of his hateful rhetoric, and how deeply it concerns thousands of organized people across the country, they're deciding that they don't want their companies associated with Beck's divisive fear-mongering."

Colorofchange.org went to its 600,000 members and asked them to send letters of protest to the advertisers of Beck's FNC program. At least 100,000 of its members came through with letters.

And the Beck cause isn't the only recent effort by ColorOfChange.org. The organization also called on CNN to fire Lou Dobbs after he revived the debunked notion of so-called "birthers."

The organization notes the considerable buying power of African-Americans. And these major companies, not swayed very easily, saw the implications of not going along. Regardless of their views, they made bottom-line decisions for their pocketbooks, and in this case, common sense, too.

But those companies would NEVER make this call on their own. Companies don't unilaterally make such decisions -- even with the insane ramblings of Glenn Beck. ColorOfChange.org made the decision to step it up, respond effectively, and made a difference.

For their successful efforts to bring financial accountability to the dangerous rhetoric of Glenn Beck, ColorOfChange.org is this week's BuzzFlash Wings of Justice award winner.

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Nominated by BuzzFlash staff. To see a full list of past Wings of Justice honorees, click here.