TV Stations Still Can't Resist Pre-Packaged Video News

TV STATIONS STILL CAN'T RESIST PRE-PACKAGED VIDEO NEWS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal 4/26, AUTHOR: Joe Flint joe.flint@wsj.com]
Local television stations are again coming under fire from media watchdogs and the Federal Communications Commission for using so-called video news releases during their newscasts without full disclosure. A video news release, or VNR, is basically a press release in video form. Just as news organizations are inundated every day with press releases from government agencies, consumer groups and corporations, television stations receive the equivalent in video form. While there is nothing inherently wrong with reporting a story based on a press release, many television stations are using the VNRs alone in lieu of original reporting. What's more alarming, these stations are airing these videos without revealing the origin of the footage to viewers. "Viewers are accustomed to watching news programs with an uncritical eye and only put their filter on when commercials start. VNRs take full advantage of this tendency and do a direct attack," says Matthew Felling, a director of Center for Media and Public Affairs, a Washington, D.C., media watchdog group. The makers of VNRs say they aren't trying to deceive viewers and don't have a problem with disclosing their involvement or their clients. Douglas Simon, president of D S Simon Productions Inc., a public-relations firm whose clients have included Sony Corp., Panasonic and March of Dimes, says "disclosure is great from a client's perspective as it becomes another plug."
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114591217366434458-e7v3MOPfZ3SvlTL80M28KySEzos_20070425.html