In 1996, husband and wife reporting team Steve Wilson and Jane Akre (left) thought they had landed their dream job when hired by Fox-owned affiliate WTVT (Tampa, FL). The station assigned them to produce a series of stories called “The Investigators,” its tagline, “Uncovering the truth. Getting results. Protecting you.”

Early on, Wilson and Akre decided to investigate the health consequences of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) injected into dairy cattle. Despite the fact that rBGH increased milk production by as much as 25%, farmers using it noted that their cows were increasingly suffering from udder infections and hoof problems, and dying younger. When prodded by Akre and Wilson to explain why they used it if that were the case, the farmers reluctantly explained that Monsanto, the company that sold rBGH under the brand name Posilac, threatened to sue them if they didn’t.

More important, a number of studies showed a link between rBGH and cancer. The hormone did not break down in the body of the cow, and was subsequently secreted through the milk, something that might (pending further study) influence human development at the DNA level.*

The reporters compiled their story and presented it to their boss, General Manager David Boylan. Boylan enthusiastically ordered promos shot with the introductory teaser, “What’s in your milk?”

Thinking that they had just hit one out of the park, Akre and Wilson were understandably surprised when Boylan called them in to make some “edits” to their original piece in order to make it more “fair and balanced.” Boylan’s change in attitude stemmed from a directive by Fox News President Roger Ailes. As one of the twenty-two local stations owned by Fox, WTVT had to submit to Ailes’ control. The fact that Monsanto had purchased a large chunk of advertising time on Fox weighed heavily in his decision.

Fox offered Wilson and Akre $200,000 for their resignation, and a promise to keep the story a secret. But Akre and Wilson went to bat for their piece, and finally reached a compromise. If the station would delay production for just a little while, they would draft a script that they, the station and Monsanto could live with. Eighty-three versions later, the reporters still couldn’t water down the piece enough to suit the chemical leviathan. They eventually offered Fox an ultimatum: if WTVT didn’t air the true story, they would report the station to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for “broadcasting false signals.” So, Fox fired them in December 1997.

Meanwhile, WTVT aired a version of Wilson and Akre’s report approved by Monsanto. If you’re assuming that the approved script turned a piece about corporate malfeasance into a VNR for rBGH, then you make good assumptions.

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*One fear about rBGH, for example, is that it might cause early pubescence in girls. (Update 8/30/10: Ray--of Ray's-X--has found these links from The Daily Mail and The Huffington Post.)