Hello folks,
Bernard Matthews isn't on our banned list right now because we weren't aware that they were particularly evil re lack of animal welfare relative to other food suppliers. Obviously you can argue that battery/ intensive farming methods are cruel per se but if we go down that route then does that mean we shouldn't have anyone who sells this stuff either - ie all the Supermarkets etc? Whilst it would be nice, it wouldn't be viable if we want to keep the site free to use.
So I guess what Aitch says is right - we make a gesture as a protest against things we feel strongly about - like formula milk advertising, plastic surgery etc - but to be completely consistent would be impossible. If you feel that Bernard Matthews is one of those companies that we ought to add to the list because their practices are particularly evil let us know. We don't tend though to include companies just because the products they supply are unhealthy - or we really would have very few left to advertise and we don't really see it as our job to tell people what they should and shouldn't consume.
In an ideal world, of course, we'd like only to take advertising from small, green, wholly ethical businesses or indeed none at all but in reality we have costs to meet and this is kind of the best we can manage.
It's not perfect we know - it's a bit like being a veggie and still eating fish or wearing leather shoes I guess, but you do what you can.
One idea we've thought of is to supply an ad-free MN to folks willing to pay an annual fee for that...
Do let us know your thoughts.
MNHQ