• Wall Street Journal, Wednesday, September 15, 2010 11 AM

Julie Jargon reports that a TV ad is set to air today in the nation's capital, blaming fast food giant McDonald's for heart disease. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine chose Washington, D.C., because it has the second-highest rate of deaths from heart disease in the country and because the district has more McDonald's, Burger King and KFC restaurants per square mile than eight other similar-sized cities.

In the commercial, a woman weeps over a dead man lying in a morgue. In his hand is a hamburger. At the end, the golden arches appear over his feet, followed by the words, "I was lovin' it," a play on McDonald's longtime ad slogan, "I'm lovin' it." A voiceover says, "High cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks. Tonight, make it vegetarian."

The spot will be broadcast on local news stations and on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" in the Washington area. PCRM says it is also considering running it in Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and Memphis in coming months. As for McDonald's, it reiterated its commitment "to providing balanced menu choices and a variety of options to meet our customers' needs and preferences."

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