In the National Spotlight

This year, PCRM reached a wider audience than ever before, receiving extensive coverage in major newspapers nationwide, making appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and other national TV shows, and launching new public service announcements.

Pushing the Press

PCRM’s experts on research and nutrition penned hundreds of letters to the editor and opinion pieces in newspapers across the country, including USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.

In an op-ed published in USA Today, PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D., explained that a vegetarian diet is the healthiest choice for everyone, including athletes like the Milwaukee Brewers’ Prince Fielder, who recently switched to a plant-based diet. “Fielder is a role model for his athletic prowess—and his healthy diet,” Dr. Barnard wrote.

The Washington Post also covered PCRM’s work throughout the year. Two articles highlighted the grades given to area schools in the School Lunch Report Card, and another examined The Cancer Project’s processed meat evaluation. The Washington Post also covered PCRM’s call for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences medical school to end their practice of using live animals in education.

PCRM Surfs the Channels

In 2008, PCRM made appearances on major national TV shows and even had the chance to bring a dose of reality to the hit prime-time drama Grey’s Anatomy.

PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D., appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to explain how a healthy diet can help break unhealthy food cravings.

In a Grey’s Anatomy episode, Dr. Izzie Stevens took a strong stand against using animals for trauma training after PCRM explained to producers the overwhelming move toward using simulators instead of animals.

TV Spots Highlight Benefits of Vegetarian Diet

This year, PCRM and The Cancer Project released two new TV public service announcements that inform the public about the many benefits of a vegetarian diet. “Med School” and “Poker Night” can be seen on TV stations across the country.

In “Med School,” a takeoff on today’s popular TV medical dramas, interns see a colorful array of fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains on an X-ray light board and learn that a plant-based diet can help prevent diseases.

“Poker Night” sends the message that healthy eating can help prevent prostate cancer. In this humorous spot, a “new guy” makes the mistake of bringing a bucket of chicken to the poker table that is full of low-fat vegetarian snacks.