Censored in Chandler

When word got out that Covance had purchased land in Chandler, Arizona, with plans to build a 400,000-square-foot testing laboratory, residents jumped into action. Residents have been up in arms, voicing concerns on issues as diverse as animal welfare, environmental biohazards, public health, and traffic congestion.

PETA created a 60-second television advertisement for the Chandler market, so residents could judge for themselves whether Covance is the sort of company that they want in their community. The ad―which used video footage shot undercover inside Covance’s Vienna, Virginia, lab―was rejected by all Phoenix-area television stations. Censoring the images but keeping the audio of monkeys screaming as workers slapped them and threw them against cages, PETA created a second advertisement, but even that was banned by all but two Phoenix-area stations.

Area television stations have already determined that what happens inside Covance’s laboratories is objectionable to Chandler sensibilities. Now it’s up to the city to decide.