The Chain Gang

McDonald’s Doesn’t Want Any Reporters at Its Shareholders Meeting

Waving, not drowning?
Waving, not drowning? Photo: McDonald’s/flickr

The fast-food corporation’s annual Shareholders’ Meeting takes place Thursday, but because of a “steadily declining media attendance,” a spokesperson tells Business Insider that no reporters will be able to attend in-person. The chain explains the shut-out was an egalitarian move, because not every outlet can afford to send reporters to Oak Brook. McDonald’s is requiring all shareholders in attendance to submit to a two-step admissions process, in the meantime, involving government-issued I.D. and a “confirmation letter,” likely due to the fact that more than 2,000 workers and wage activists are expected to descend upon McDonald’s HQ to protest the chain’s minimum wage policy. A fast-food worker activist disrupted an executive’s speech recently in Chicago, and last year at the annual meeting, a 9-year-old girl made headlines after she asked CEO Don Thompson why the chain was trying to “trick kids into eating food that isn’t good for them.” [BI, Related]

McDonald’s Doesn’t Want Any Reporters at Its Shareholders Meeting