Many of you will remember UPC's campaign from 1997-1999 protesting the
Poultry Slam hosted by public radio personality Ira Glass on This American
Life . Aired on NPR between Christmas and Thanksgiving, the poultry slam
ridiculed chickens, turkeys and ducks. Asked for an interview, UPC president
Karen Davis accepted on the condition that Glass would first visit our sanctuary
and meet our birds. He came on November 22, 1998, met our chickens, saw how
innocent they were, and included our interview on his November 27 show: "In this
portion of our show," he said, "Karen Davis explains what it is that we just
don't understand about poultry, and why the whole idea of this poultry show was
wrongheaded from the start."
On July 3, 2004, Ira Glass was a guest on the NPR program Wait, Wait,
Don't Tell Me . He started talking about the Poultry Slam and how he had
received hundreds of letters from irate animal rights activists spearheaded by
one woman (Karen Davis of UPC). He said he thought it was so stupid that with
the holocaust killing of hundreds of thousands of chickens every day, we would
target his show, as if it would make any difference. He said he went to our
sanctuary and saw that some of our birds were shy and others were outgoing.
After that, he thought of our chickens every time he ate chicken. Someone asked
Ira when he last had chicken. He said about 5 years ago, that he has given up
meat and that we had the last laugh.
This American Life welcomes comments. You may thank Ira Glass by
contacting him c/o Elizabeth Meister, This American Life . WBEZ Radio,
848 East Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. Phone: 312-948-4600. Email: web@thislife.org
United Poultry Concerns, Inc.