When the smear campaign that was started by ABC News was going on against Beef Products Inc. (BPI) for the lean, finely textured beef that the company was producing, the media jumped on board and added some of its own comments.

Now BPI has filed a lawsuit against ABC News and several individuals, including Diane Sawyer, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture microbiologist, Gerald Zirnstein, who first coined the phrase “pink slime.”

The lawsuit is for defamation over ABC’s coverage of meat products produced by BPI. It was a smear campaign by ABC from the very start for some reason that we probably will never know. With so many people out of work, it is unfortunate that a smear campaign put three plants out of business and cost several hundred people to lose their jobs by spreading false and misleading statements about the product in question.

Diane Sawyer, I have some words for you: “Remember Dan Rather.”

Russell Marks

Cedar Rapids