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Report: Major Market TV Stations Air "Fake News"

J

job

Guest
Just when you thought local TV news couldn't sink any lower...
--------------
Fake TV News: See It and Stop It!
Source: Center for Media and Democracy, April 6, 2006
Who's behind your news? Without disclosure, you just don't know if the report you're watching about a corporation was secretly funded by and produced for that corporation.

That's what the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) found in our groundbreaking exposé, "Fake TV News: Widespread and Undisclosed." This multi-media report is the culmination of an intensive, ten month investigation by CMD. It provides the most extensive account to date of how corporate-funded video news releases -- fake TV news -- are routinely aired, without disclosure, as though they were independent news reports.

Learn which TV stations we caught and watch footage of the VNRs we tracked, plus see how TV newscasts incorporated them and/or related satellite media tour "interviews," by reading our online report, here: http://www.prwatch.org/fakenews/execsummary

And then tell the Federal Communications Commission that fake news must stop, by taking part in a joint CMD / Free Press action, here: http://action.freepress.net/campaign/fakenews

-------------------

See if a station you watch is on the list. One of mine was.
 
> Just when you thought local TV news couldn't sink any
> lower...
> --------------
> Fake TV News: See It and Stop It!
> Source: Center for Media and Democracy, April 6, 2006
> Who's behind your news? Without disclosure, you just don't
> know if the report you're watching about a corporation was
> secretly funded by and produced for that corporation.
>
> That's what the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) found
> in our groundbreaking exposé, "Fake TV News: Widespread and
> Undisclosed." This multi-media report is the culmination of
> an intensive, ten month investigation by CMD. It provides
> the most extensive account to date of how corporate-funded
> video news releases -- fake TV news -- are routinely aired,
> without disclosure, as though they were independent news
> reports.
>
> Learn which TV stations we caught and watch footage of the
> VNRs we tracked, plus see how TV newscasts incorporated them
> and/or related satellite media tour "interviews," by reading
> our online report, here:
> http://www.prwatch.org/fakenews/execsummary
>
> And then tell the Federal Communications Commission that
> fake news must stop, by taking part in a joint CMD / Free
> Press action, here:
> http://action.freepress.net/campaign/fakenews
>
> -------------------
>
> See if a station you watch is on the list. One of mine was.
>

the #1 local station in America (just ask them), WNEP, is on there. Evidently the sorry lack of competition they face has caused them to let their guard down.
 
> Just when you thought local TV news couldn't sink any
> lower...
> --------------
> Fake TV News: See It and Stop It!
> Source: Center for Media and Democracy, April 6, 2006
> Who's behind your news? Without disclosure, you just don't
> know if the report you're watching about a corporation was
> secretly funded by and produced for that corporation.
>
> That's what the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) found
> in our groundbreaking exposé, "Fake TV News: Widespread and
> Undisclosed." This multi-media report is the culmination of
> an intensive, ten month investigation by CMD. It provides
> the most extensive account to date of how corporate-funded
> video news releases -- fake TV news -- are routinely aired,
> without disclosure, as though they were independent news
> reports.
>
> Learn which TV stations we caught and watch footage of the
> VNRs we tracked, plus see how TV newscasts incorporated them
> and/or related satellite media tour "interviews," by reading
> our online report, here:
> http://www.prwatch.org/fakenews/execsummary
>
> And then tell the Federal Communications Commission that
> fake news must stop, by taking part in a joint CMD / Free
> Press action, here:
> http://action.freepress.net/campaign/fakenews
>
> -------------------
>
> See if a station you watch is on the list. One of mine was.
>

Some variant of this story gets rehashed every year. There are very few stations that don't do this in some form. If something sounds like PR spin, it usually is.

I'm just surprised only one Birmingham station got caught here, because they all do it, especially on the morning shows.
 
>
> Some variant of this story gets rehashed every year. There
> are very few stations that don't do this in some form. If
> something sounds like PR spin, it usually is.
>
> I'm just surprised only one Birmingham station got caught
> here, because they all do it, especially on the morning
> shows.
>

I saw an article a few days ago that stations have started selling news "placements" in morning shows. Using PR news releases as news means the station is cheap and lazy. Now the sales department has gotten involved and companies can buy news stories about themselves - no doubt flattering.
 
Hi everyone:

> > Just when you thought local TV news couldn't sink any
> > lower...
> > --------------
> > Fake TV News: See It and Stop It!
> > Source: Center for Media and Democracy, April 6, 2006

[snip...]

> > Learn which TV stations we caught and watch footage of the
>
> > VNRs we tracked, plus see how TV newscasts incorporated
> them
> > and/or related satellite media tour "interviews," by
> reading
> > our online report, here:
> > http://www.prwatch.org/fakenews/execsummary
> >
> > And then tell the Federal Communications Commission that
> > fake news must stop, by taking part in a joint CMD / Free
> > Press action, here:
> > http://action.freepress.net/campaign/fakenews
> >
> > -------------------
> >
> > See if a station you watch is on the list. One of mine
> was.
> >
>
> Some variant of this story gets rehashed every year. There
> are very few stations that don't do this in some form. If
> something sounds like PR spin, it usually is.

All one needs to do is LOOK AT THE URLs in the originating post.

I would say this belongs on the OFF AIR board as this has POLITICAL BIAS (Be it Liberal or Conservative) smeared all over it.

Just my opinion :)

Cheers :)

Pat<P ID="signature">______________
patspodcast03a.jpg

http://patspodcast.blogspot.com/
Radio? Uhh.....What's THAT?? :)</P>
 
> the #1 local station in America (just ask them), WNEP, is on
> there. Evidently the sorry lack of competition they face
> has caused them to let their guard down.
>

And yet, they will remain number one, even after making this major mistake. People have been posting messages on their board saying that they forgive WNEP for this mistake; I can tell you one thing, I DON'T FORGIVE THEM! As a person who lives in Northeastern PA (where WNEP is located), and a person who works in the broadcast field, I cannot understand why WNEP is number one. Their work is very sloppy. Their morning meteorologist crosses the line every morning. Their anchors stumble over their own words, yet people love WNEP. I will love to see the day that the big dinosaur dies. The other two news stations in the market (WYOU and WBRE) are much better in my opinion. Even though they are owned by Deathstar (Nexstar.)
 
"Fake News" - Fake Bias

> All one needs to do is LOOK AT THE URLs in the originating
> post. I would say this belongs on the OFF AIR board as this has
> POLITICAL BIAS (Be it Liberal or Conservative) smeared all
> over it.

Are you saying:
  1. It is not true that these stations air video press releases not labelled as such and this group made it all up?
  2. It is OK to air video press releases as news and only a political zealot could possibly object to this?
Wait, there's more:
<blockquote>In risky move, newscasts adopt product placements
Wednesday March 15 10:21 PM ET

(Reuters) While just about every television genre has jumped on the lucrative product-placement bandwagon, news programs generally have been considered off-limits to preserve editorial integrity.

But with TV stations facing increased competition and pressure on advertising revenue, the barriers that shielded news programing from such deals are falling. Product placement, media and branded entertainment agencies say they are increasingly being pitched opportunities from local stations to integrate their clients' products into news programing in exchange for buying commercial time or paying integration fees.
Read More
</blockquote>
 
More than politics involved here - this is a real TV issue

> All one needs to do is LOOK AT THE URLs in the originating
> post.
>
> I would say this belongs on the OFF AIR board as this has
> POLITICAL BIAS (Be it Liberal or Conservative) smeared all
> over it.

Even the FCC has been involved in this investigation. Read the linked statement by FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein. I'm not sure what his party affiliation is (could well be Democrat) but if his statement were politically motivated, there would certainly be an opposing statement by another commissioner. The absence of an opposing opinion indicates to me that the FCC Commissioners are in agreement about this.

Adelstein is none too pleased.

Word link: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-264822A1.doc
PDF link: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-264822A1.pdf
Text link: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-264822A1.txt<P ID="signature">______________
Dave</P>
 
Re: "Fake News" - Fake Bias

> Wait, there's more:
> In risky move, newscasts adopt product placements
> Wednesday March 15 10:21 PM ET
>
> (Reuters) While just about every television genre has jumped
> on the lucrative product-placement bandwagon, news programs
> generally have been considered off-limits to preserve
> editorial integrity.
>
> But with TV stations facing increased competition and
> pressure on advertising revenue, the barriers that shielded
> news programing from such deals are falling. Product
> placement, media and branded entertainment agencies say they
> are increasingly being pitched opportunities from local
> stations to integrate their clients' products into news
> programing in exchange for buying commercial time or paying
> integration fees.
> Read More
>
I havn't really noticed any paid advertising, however our local ABC is owned by disney, and this aired yesterday.

<a target="_blank" href=http://ww2.wpvi.com/global/video/WorldNowASX.asp?playerType=native&ClipID1=744410&h1=Don%20Polec%20Gives%20Disney%3Fs%20%22Expedition%20Everest%22%20a%20Whirl&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=157134&LaunchPageAdTag=News&fvCatNo=&backgroundImageURL=&activePane=info&playerVersion=7>http://ww2.wpvi.com/global/video/WorldNowASX.asp?playerType=native&ClipID1=744410&h1=Don%20Polec%20Gives%20Disney%3Fs%20%22Expedition%20Everest%22%20a%20Whirl&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=157134&LaunchPageAdTag=News&fvCatNo=&backgroundImageURL=&activePane=info&playerVersion=7</a>

This has been done before. Usally when something new is happening at Disney. I don't blame the local station itself. I think Disney themsleves forces this news promo.
 
Hmm, I noticed my local Fox station is on there, and well as a lot of Fox or Sinclair owned stations...



> And yet, they will remain number one, even after making this
> major mistake. People have been posting messages on their
> board saying that they forgive WNEP for this mistake; I can
> tell you one thing, I DON'T FORGIVE THEM! As a person who
> lives in Northeastern PA (where WNEP is located), and a
> person who works in the broadcast field, I cannot understand
> why WNEP is number one. Their work is very sloppy. Their
> morning meteorologist crosses the line every morning. Their
> anchors stumble over their own words, yet people love WNEP.
> I will love to see the day that the big dinosaur dies. The
> other two news stations in the market (WYOU and WBRE) are
> much better in my opinion. Even though they are owned by
> Deathstar (Nexstar.)
>

The fall of the king. WNEP has no credibility these days. While I haven't seen a WNEP newscast in a few years now(I don't live in PA anymore), it was no surprise to me last fall to hear in the National media about a verbal fight breaking out on the morning newcast between anchors.
 
Re: More than politics involved here - this is a real TV issue

> Even the FCC has been involved in this investigation. Read
> the linked statement by FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein.
> I'm not sure what his party affiliation is (could well be
> Democrat) but if his statement were politically motivated,
> there would certainly be an opposing statement by another
> commissioner. The absence of an opposing opinion indicates
> to me that the FCC Commissioners are in agreement about this.
>
> Adelstein is none too pleased.

Adelstein is a Democrat <a target="_blank" href=http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/adelstein/biography.html> (bio here). </a>
 
Re: More than politics involved here - this is a real TV issue

Doesn't look like the feds can "stop it" without First Amendment issues. What about taking a liberal interest group's press release at face value?<P ID="signature">______________
"Your right to know supersedes your right to exist"..Gary Burbank</P>
 
Re: More than politics involved here - this is a real TV issue

> Doesn't look like the feds can "stop it" without First
> Amendment issues. What about taking a liberal interest
> group's press release at face value?
>

If I'm reading Adelstein's statement correctly, it looks like the FCC played a role in commissioning the investigation.

As to whether or not the feds can stop the practice without running into First Amendment issues, I'm not certain, but they seem to be able to enforce truth in advertising and decency laws when they want to.

I don't deny that some politics is at work here. That's clear from the press release. But my contention is that there's more than just politics. I'm not crazy about the messenger, and am not inclined to simply take their opinion at face value, but the messenger isn't the issue here - the message is.

My first reaction was to disbelieve the press release - until I read Adelstein's statement. The FCC can be as political as anyone else, but when commissioners disagree about a policy, a dissenting opinion is usually published. That wasn't the case here. What isn't said speaks as powerfully as what is.

If these TV stations are running shill pieces without disclosure, we have a right to know IMO. And if the FCC can't stop the practice, the American public can - by refusing to watch their newscasts. To me, this is no different than network news trying to pass themselves off as being objective when 90% of their staff leans one way politically. And they wonder why the public is increasingly turning to alternate sources of news.<P ID="signature">______________
Dave</P>
 
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