Want To Know Fake News When You See It?

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on

The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) today reported on three recent instances where a single television station aired entire, pre-packaged video news releases (VNRs). The sponsored "fake news" spots, all involving WGTU-TV 29 in Traverse City, Mich., can be seen at www.prwatch.org/fakenews3/summary. The new VNR catches prove that, despite mounting pressure from the public and the Federal Communications Commission, television stations continue to air fake news without disclosure. With the media reform group Free Press, CMD filed a formal complaint with the FCC. Under the slogan "Know Fake News," CMD and Free Press are also encouraging concerned citizens to contact the FCC, calling on the agency to address all pending fake news complaints, including the new VNR broadcasts, and to clarify VNR disclosure requirements.

Main Source: 
Center for Media and Democracy, October 11, 2007
Topics: 
Activism
Journalism
Video News Releases
Fake TV News
U.S. Government

Comments

Cyn replied on

There's more than just news that's fake. Recently a tv producer sent out a call for sexologists who would appear on a reality type show; youth with sex "problems" that need solving. By the sexologist, and advertisers of course.

There will be lots of prurient material for the male viewer who is the primary target audience, who can watch this, punctuated by product shilling every couple minutes from the big money prime time advertisers the producers wouldn't get in the 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. slot. One of them may be a pharmaceutical company, pushing their deadly erectile dysfunction drugs. But most definitely the pseudo-profession of sexologist will get a huge boost.

This is spin. Pornography under the guise of health problems, now in prime time. Young women, especially, are being pimped. Is this of any concern at all to the anyone in the left? It sure isn't to the rightist corporate conglomerate who know a money maker when it was born on some marketing department lunch junket.

Keep 'em buying. Use women's bodies to move your product whenever possible. Make it a reality show to bring it under the wire and position it in a family time slot.

C'mon CW lefties! It's not baby seals or weapons of mass destruction, so it doesn't merit discussion here? This is corporate shill at its most incidious and destructive; pimping a generation of women to fill the shareholder's pockets.

Mutternich replied on

C'mon CW lefties! It's not baby seals or weapons of mass destruction, so it doesn't merit discussion here? This is corporate shill at its most incidious and destructive; pimping a generation of women to fill the shareholder's pockets.

Jeez, you just now put it up...give us a break!

Okay then...do what you'd normally do for any program you'd take such exception to: organize a boycott of the advertisers.

Uh...when did you say it was coming on?

Cyn replied on

I note you didn't respond in this dismissive way for the originating story.

Mutternich replied on

Actually, I didn't respond to the originating story at all.

Look, I don't disagree with your feelings about this show as you describe it, but how is it worse than all the crap that's already on? If you feel that strongly, organize a boycott. Count me as participant number one; I'm not gonna watch it and wouldn't buy that stuff anyway.

ugly george replied on

So PR handouts posing as "news" are bad, huh? Are you ready to condemn ALL such scams as "evil"? Ugly George is poisonally acquainted with the Film Lab owner who in 1960 took in Big Bucks from shifty Jos P. Kennedy to develop, print & distribute "spot news" film clips of his little boy John to news-starved little stations all over (just like Ch.29) to 'fill out' their boring evening newscasts. There was NO disclosure of their $$ source. Sen.Wellstone is watching to see if you print this.

Mutternich replied on

how you slide from "bad" to "evil."

But yes, it is bad for broadcasters to tell viewers they're getting news when they're really getting advertising. Do you like it when you're told you're getting one thing and it turns out to be something else? Or maybe you just don't care what's going on in the world around you? Because if the PR people had their way, "news" programs would just carry all their stuff all the time, and if that left viewers with no news in at all in their news shows, well, hey! The market has spoken.

Here's an idea to tickle your entrepreneurial spirit: Why not start your own PR cable channel? I don't doubt it'd get plenty of viewers, even with full disclosure. That would be the honest way to do it.

Mutternich replied on

A producer putting out a call doesn't make it a done deal that a series pilot will ever get produced, and the great majority of pilot shows that get produced never make it to getting publicly aired.

For that matter, knowing nothing about where you saw this call or who is behind it, it might just be nothing more than a scam to sucker wannabe TV sexologists into "investing."

The idea sounds really charming...not!...but until you know whether anything will ever actually come of it, I don't see the point of getting worked up.