Television 'News' to Warm a PR agent's Heart

TELEVISION 'NEWS' TO WARM A PR AGENT'S HEART
[SOURCE: Minneapolis Star Tribune, AUTHOR: Henry Geller and Diane Farsetta]
[Commentary] Video news releases (VNRs), public relations videos designed to look like straightforward reporting, routinely infiltrate television newscasts, even in major markets like the Twin Cities. But viewers are rarely told the true source of such "news." While the need to clearly label such materials might seem obvious, an association of broadcast news professionals -- the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) -- recently joined the PR industry in fighting to keep the status quo: many VNRs and no disclosure. Congress and the courts have stressed that as fiduciaries given the free use of the public airwaves, broadcasters are obligated to operate in the public interest. Flagrantly deceptive practices are inconsistent with that obligation and can find no sanction in the First Amendment. Disclosure is particularly important, since the economic pressures and profit expectations placed on TV stations today have effectively transformed VNRs into an essential yet undeclared part of TV newsroom budgets. The least that can and should be done in these circumstances is to ensure the public is given the information necessary to evaluate what's being presented as news. The FCC investigation is a first, necessary step toward that goal.
http://www.startribune.com/562/story/871497.html