We are delighted to see the Oxford animal rights groups SPEAK draw attention on their website to a recent ruling against them by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). See Tigger’s recent blog on this. In this particular case SPEAK had been persistently misquoting Professor Michael Rawlins, claiming that he stated that ‘the animal testing regime… is utterly futile’. As the ASA adjudication makes clear, Professor Rawlins said no such thing.

In their defence, SPEAK refer to an article in the Daily Telegraph in which Professor Rawlins was similarly misquoted, although not in exactly the same way.

Perhaps in future SPEAK should take heed of their own advice. In an earlier posting on their website, they were bleating about the media coverage of the High Court hearing on the injunction to prevent them harassing staff and students at Oxford University. At that time, SPEAK stated:

judging by today’s coverage - Oxford University have won a significant coup against SPEAK campaigners. Which – as it happens - just goes to prove that you shouldn’t believe everything you hear

SPEAK also complain pitifully that Professor Rawlins only made a complaint against them, and not the Telegraph. Perhaps they don’t realise that news articles do not fall under the remit of the ASA. Ignorance is no excuse, although in the case of SPEAK, we expect little else.