Why Are Teachers Being Turned Into Marketers for McDonalds?

FEATURING KRISTEN STRADER – Corporations love to appear as good citizens, making high-profile donations to good causes that give them the veneer of being charitable and doing their bit. But notice how the donations are always high profile? Much effort and expense goes into the publicity of charitable donation. In other words, charity is just another form of marketing.

For some years now, one of the world’s largest corporations, McDonald’s has been making donations to public schools. The gimmick is this: teachers serve fast food to students and families at a local McDonald’s restaurant. They promote the event, they wear branded T-shirts, and at the end of the night, the often-impoverished schools get a cut of the sales. Now, 30,000 people have signed a petition demanding that McDonald’s end the so-called “McTeachers Night” program.

Find more about the petition at www.commercialalert.org or visit www.citizen.org.

Kristen Strader, Campaign Coordinator for Commercial Alert with Public Citizen.