PETA's pie throwing at Vogue editor and shocking fur footage from China

PETA has recently released two shocking videos of undercover footage from the fur industry in China. Much of that fur is exported around the world and used as fur trim on jackets. Though they are hard to watch, I urge anybody who doubts claims about the cruelty of the fur trade to check them out. "We must not refuse to see with our eyes what they must endure with their bodies." (I wish I knew who said that originally.)

You'll find a link to the latest video detailing the transport and slaughter of dogs and cats for fur, on the front of PETA's website, http://www.peta.org.
And "Fur Farm Horror" -- footage taken on a fur farm, showing animals being bashed and stunned, but skinned while still conscious and struggling, is at http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=fur_farm

The videos have not been given nearly as much attention, by the scandal and celebrity driven media, as PETA's tofu pie thrown at Anna Wintour during Paris fashion week. I found that story appearing in 29 newspapers in the US, UK and Australia from October 9-11. I will list the papers below. If your paper is one of them, please send a letter to the editor covering the part of the fur story the paper omitted.

Here is the Associated Press piece, on which most of the brief articles were based:

"Anti-fur demonstrators hit Vogue editor with a pie in Paris

"Anna Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue magazine, was hit with a tofu pie by anti-fur demonstrators as she attended Paris fashion week.
Dan Mathews, vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said the vegetarian tofu tart was retaliation for Vogue's decision to run fur ads while refusing to use PETA's anti-fur messages. The animal rights group offered to pay the same fee, Mathews said.
Wintour, editor of the U.S. edition of Vogue, was hit with the tart as she waited to see the Chloe fashion show Saturday. It was the second time in a year that PETA has hit her with a pie."

And here are some papers where the article appeared in print (as opposed to only on the website) -- there may have been more:

October 11:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Pg. 2E;, Chicago Tribune, NEWS ; ZONE C; Pg. 19 Columbus Dispatch Contra Costa Times Pg. F4, Detroit Free Press The Miami Herald Pg. A4, 104 The New York Sun -- STYLE; Pg. 18, Newsday (New York), Pg. A12, The Ottawa Sun, Pg. 26, Philadelphia Inquirer Pg. C02 Philadelphia Daily News Pg. 30 The Record (Bergen County, NJ) Pg. A02 St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Star-Telegram B; BRIEF; Pg. 3, Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) The Times (London), -- Features; 20 The Washington Post -- Style; C3 , The Washington Times Pg. B05 Wilkes Barre Times Leader Pg. 2

October 10
Austin American-Statesman (Texas), Pg. A2 The Australian -- Pg. 13, "Editor faces tofu fur fury"
The Courier Mail (Queensland, Australia), Pg. 16, "Anti-fur activists pelt top fashion editor"
Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia), Pg. 16, Gold Coast Bulletin (Australia), Pg. 11 Townsville Bulletin/Townsville Sun (Australia), NEWS; Pg. 10

October 9
Calgary Sun (Alberta), Pg.11
Daily News (New York), Pg. 26
The Seattle Times, Pg. A2

If your paper is among those listed, and you would like to write a letter but have any trouble finding the full article, or the correct email address for your letter to the editor, it will be my pleasure to help with both. And I am always happy to edit letters. Most of us can use at least a little tweak from an outside eye, and those new to writing letters to the editor are welcome to more extensive help. (Though I will not provide a sample letter. They are counterproductive when dealing with the media.)

You'll find loads of information on fur at http://www.FurIsDead.com And you'll find some tips on letter writing at http://www.DawnWatch.com/email_etiquette.htm

For those whose papers did not cover the story, as winter approaches, the appearance of fur in store windows, or in advertisements in your paper, can serve as a good jump-off point for a letter on the issue.
And the national paper, USA Today, has the story on its website at http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-10-10-vogue-wintour_x.htm?POE=LIFISVA
You can respond with a letter to USA Today at http://asp.usatoday.com/marketing/feedback/feedback-online.aspx?type=18 OR http://tinyurl.com/cee7y

Please write, so that the public discussion of fur covers more than pie-throwing.

Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Shorter letters are more likely to be published.


(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)