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Big Marketers Fight Back Over Darfur Criticism

Mia Farrow's activist group, Dream for Darfur, on Thursday issued a report card that gave 16 of 19 Olympics sponsors a D or an F for their efforts to pressure China over human rights. The highest marks were earned by Adidas, McDonald's and Eastman Kodak. Activist groups, including Students for a Free Tibet, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders have been sending letters to Olympics sponsors asking them to take a stance on human-rights issues.

At least Olympics three sponsors--Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson and General Electric--are firing back. "For an organization that has not eased the suffering of a single individual on the ground in Darfur to criticize those who are helping thousands every day is more than ironic," says a Coca-Cola spokesman, echoing remarks made by CEO E. Neville Isdell last week in The Financial Times.

General Electric commends Dream for Darfur for raising awareness but disagrees with its approach and assertions, "as well as the use of the Olympics Games as a political platform." Johnson & Johnson says it donates cash and products to the region through organizations like Unicef and the International Rescue Committee.

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