Day 246 - 09 May 96 - Page 07
1 A. I do not know specifically. I know what I had said and
2 done until court was supposed to begin in early 1994, and
3 that was: stay entirely away from the media. I never even
4 thought about going into the media or gave any discussion
5 with anyone about it until ----
6
7 Q. Why was that?
8 A. ---- until you yourselves made your press releases, as
9 you did, during the first part of 1994.
10
11 Q. Why was it you decided not to talk to the media then?
12 A. There was no reason to. The court will handle the
13 issue. This is not a matter for the media in terms of
14 public opinion, or anything. It is a matter of the facts
15 being put before a judge in this court.
16
17 Q. But, Mr. Preston, your company continually places
18 advertisements in the media and television, in newspapers,
19 and so on, and you are not normally shy about talking to a
20 media about, well, about basically how great you think
21 McDonald's is. So why suddenly, as you claim, stop just
22 prior to the trial starting?
23 A. I am sorry, you are talking about two entirely
24 different issues. It is a very conscious decision in a
25 matter as serious as this before a court of law to let it
26 be handled in a court of law. At such time as the
27 situation changed, and you yourselves began issuing press
28 releases, or the so-called McLibel Support Group began to
29 do so, I felt I had no other alternative but to try to
30 counter balance those with the media, and did not in fact
31 send anything out until you had done yours. So I was not
32 out there trying to win the hearts and minds of anybody. I
33 was quite prepared to wait and sit in this courtroom.
34
35 Q. Mr. Preston, your organisation sent out a press release
36 when the 3 other Defendants apologised, did not they?
37 A. We may have.
38
39 Q. Right. So you were not entirely quiet about this court
40 case?
41 A. I think you are talking about two different issues.
42
43 Q. It is the same case?
44 A. No, it is not. It is 2 different cases.
45
46 Q. Is it?
47 A. Absolutely.
48
49 Q. The issues are exactly the same, are not they?
50 A. No, they are not. In one case we had 3 individuals
51 apologise. It was noted in a public forum. There was
52 nothing said in advance of it happening and anything said
53 occurred after the fact, and in the case we are speaking
54 about, you began putting out press releases and literature
55 in advance of the case happening when we had done nothing
56 whatsoever.
57
58 Q. No, the point is ----
59 A. I am sorry, but that is true.
60
