Let's Label “Canned” News Video

LET'S LABEL "CANNED" NEWS VIDEO
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: Diane Farsetta, Center for Media and Democracy]
[Commentary] Last month, the Center for Media and Democracy released a report documenting how TV stations across the United States use video news releases (VNRs). The responses we've received from TV stations confirm what we all know -- what the Project for Excellence in Journalism, among others, has reported: TV newsrooms are being asked to do more with less, so they're increasingly turning to “provided” video. But we're also hearing, time and again, that newsroom staff are confused as to the origins of such video. So, in contravention of station policies, journalistic codes and possibly even FCC rules, stations air VNRs without disclosing to their viewers that the video was funded by and scripted for clients with particular -- ally monetary -- interests in the topics covered. As we noted in our report, the PR firms that produce VNRs name their clients in the opening slates and in accompanying materials. What can be done to clear up newsroom confusion, then? We recommended that the FCC require continuous on-screen disclosure of the source of provided and/or sponsored video. A viewer's right to know where her or his news comes from must be respected. Disclosure is not some lofty ideal. It's something newsrooms (especially those using the public airwaves) simply must provide. And until disclosure is the rule -- instead of the exception, as it is currently -- VNRs will continue to be controversial.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6334593?display=Opinion