PROCTER & GAMBLE QUICKLY QUITS ON "DR. LAURA" TV SHOW
- StopDrLaura.com Obtains Statement from P&G
- First Major Advertiser Quits Upcoming Paramount Show

Washington, DC -- StopDrLaura.com has learned that Procter & Gamble has abruptly reversed its decision to become the first major advertiser on the "Dr. Laura" show. (Full P&G statement follows). P&G's reversal is the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the show, syndicated by Paramount TV and slated for debut this September.

"Procter & Gamble should be commended for this exercise in good corporate citizenship," said John Aravosis, cofounder of StopDrLaura.com. "They've listened to reasonable Americans, their own employees, and their customers. P&G realizes there is no value in intolerance, now it's Paramount's turn."

Just one week ago today, P&G confirmed that the company was to become the first major advertiser on Paramount's upcoming "Dr. Laura" TV show. Today, an employee source within the company provided StopDrLaura.com with a copy of a yet-to-be-released statement. In the statement, P&G directly linked controversy over Schlessinger's anti-gay statements to its decision not to advertise. "We've chosen not to be involved with a show that will require time and resources to deal with this kind of controversy," the statement read. A P&G executive confirmed the statement's content to StopDrLaura.com this evening.

Schlessinger has called gays "deviant," "biological errors," and has claimed that "a huge portion of the male homosexual populus is predatory on young boys." Just last week, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) blasted Schlessinger, finding she uses "abusively discriminatory" language against gays on her daily radio show. The decision also suggested that Schlessinger's anti-gay rhetoric may "fertilize the ground" for "brutality" against gays and lesbians.

STATEMENT BY PROCTER & GAMBLE, May 15, 2000

"We've decided not to sponsor the Dr. Laura show. There has been controversy surrounding Dr. Laura on a number of topics. We've chosen not to be involved with a show that will require time and resources to deal with this kind of controversy.

"We were offered this opportunity as part of an on-going programming partnership. The focus of the show is intended to be responsible parenting. As we've studied it more closely, we've decided it isn't possible to separate the broad range of Dr. Laura's opinions from the specific focus of this program.

"Stepping back, today there are lots of programming options and we've decided there are better ones for us."