Not-so candid camera

FOOD LION

An article in The IRE Journal, which is published by an association of investigative reporters and editors, raises a question that many in the industry have long considered: Was Food Lion a victim of a hatchet job by the ABC News television show "Prime Time Live"?

After reviewing 45 hours of unedited videotape, the magazine, which is based at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, found support for Food Lion's contention that some of the incidents were indeed staged by ABC reporters to give a misleading impression of the chain's sanitation procedures. In fact, some of the tapes back Food Lion "with a power that is difficult for the printed word to match," the magazine reported in a January/February cover story.

Among the misleading segments in the 1992 "Prime Time Live" broadcast, according to the magazine, was the memorable scene in which a worker was seen sliding on the meat department floor, while a narrator talked about greasy conditions in the backroom. However, in the full-length videotape of the incident, the worker was shown washing down equipment with soapy water, which had then spilled over onto the floor and left it slick.

For more information or to order a copy of the magazine, telephone IRE at 573-882-2042 in Columbia, Mo.—M.T.