Free this kids magazine from one of its corporate masters

Their words, not mine.

I'm glad to see someone taking on the National Geographic kids' magazine. A parent once showed me the magazine awhile back. We were both not sure about it, especially with all the tie-ins to current movies. Here's more.

Brownell would favor, among other cures, a law that would suspend food advertising directed at children.

Which brings us back to National Geographic.

When we picked up the National Geographic off the newsstand, out flew a promotional leaflet for National Geographic Kids ("a magazine for ages 6 and up.")

Three years ago this magazine for kids was ad free. Now it is packed with ads for fast food, candy, sugary cereals, snack cakes and other junk food. And it reaches 1.2 million households.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) reviewed 17 recent issues and found them to contain 51 junk-food ads, including ads for Twinkies, M&Ms, Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops, Hostess Cup Cakes and Xtreme Jell-O Pudding Sticks.

In one recent issue, the magazine printed a wrap-around cover, similar to the actual cover, promoting an Arby's "Adventure Meal" that contains National Geographic Kids materials.

What to do?

Let's start by sending your thoughts to John Fahey, CEO of the National Geographic Society. Write to him at jfahey@ngs.org.

Or call him at (202) 857-7000.

Tell him what you think about the National Geographic Kids pushing junk food to kids.

If that doesn't work, we'll help organize a protest at the National Geographic headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C. One step at a time.

The authors are at Corporate Crime Reporter and Multinational Monitor. They've written a book I need to get called Corporate Predators: The Hunt for Mega-Profits and The Attack on Democracy published by this site: http://www.corporatepredators.org