Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
Following the FCC's Public Notice on "fake news," the U.S. Senate approved, by 98 to 0, a measure requiring "clear notification within the text or audio of the prepackaged news story" for all fake news produced with federal funding.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"The United States did not properly analyze two suspected cases of mad cow disease in 1997," reported Canada's CBC News. The U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian who investigated the cases, Dr.
"Listeners and viewers are entitled to know who seeks to persuade them," noted the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, in a Public Notice (PDF file, Word file) released last night.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"Missions that might be considered conflicting are not new for Porter Novelli," a PR firm that "has worked for both the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and for Guinness stout and Johnnie Walker Scotch." But Porter Novelli's $2.5 million contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to update the food guide pyramid concerns some.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
In testimony before the U.S.
Submitted by Bob Burton on
A week ago Ray Kotcher, the CEO of the PR firm Ketchum, responded in writing to a series of questions from PR Week about the controversy over Armstrong Williams promoting the U.S. No Child Left Behind law.
Will ongoing investigations and public outrage be sufficient to end the debased media practices that result in "fake news"?
Producers of the fake TV news stories called video news releases (VNRs) hope not. Some are worried, though. "Crisis" is the word Kevin McCauley of the public relations trade publication O'Dwyer's used in a recent column.
VNR producers are struggling to find allies, even within the PR industry. For the last three weeks, O'Dwyer's has been running an online poll asking, "Should there be a limit on the U.S. Government's use of video news releases?" Seventy-two percent of respondents to date support VNR restrictions. (O'Dwyer's doesn't disclose the number of respondents.)
VNR producers may very well be thanking their lucky stars for the Bush White House.
Submitted by Bob Burton on
The PR company Ketchum boasts on its website that its issues and crisis management expertise "helps clients plan rational strategies to deal with difficult situations early -- before an issue or crisis erupts." In written responses to questions from PR Week about the firm's role in the
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"In order to achieve long-term peace and stability in the Middle East, the youth need to be reached," explained the U.S. government, in an ad seeking artists for an "original comic book series" to help Middle Eastern youth "learn lessons, develop role models and improve their education." The U.S. Army's Fourth Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg in North Carolina has done initial character and plot development and will produce the series.
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The giant PR firm Burson-Marsteller won a $4.6 million contract from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, for two to seven months' work.
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