04/18/2006 01:00:00 AM MDT FCC scrutinizes all the "fake news" not fit to air
By Dick Kreck Denver Post Staff Columnist http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_3720456 When is news not news? Granted, television news often focuses on the trivial - a jackknifed truck in Prowers County, a 10-acre brush fire in Boulder or snowstorms that never develop. But a more serious issue, and one the FCC again is eyeballing, is video news releases, also known in the industry as "fake news." These are bits of video that plug products or programs, sent to TV stations by companies or, more often, government agencies, who hope they will be passed on to viewers as news rather than propaganda. Sometimes they're celebrities extolling a product or a government agency talking about the success of its programs. Earlier this month, the Center for Media and Democracy filed a complaint with the FCC that VNRs are proliferating. Not in Denver, say area news directors, all of whom have told their staffs to avoid them and, if they are used, to clearly label where they came from. "I have had a policy in our newsroom for at least three years that we will not use video news releases for the very reason that someone is giving us something and they want to get something out of it," said Bill Dallman, news director at KDVR-Channel 31. KUSA-Channel 9 news director Patti Dennis agreed. "We have typically not used them. It's becoming harder and harder to figure out who's paying for it. Our general rule is none. If we do, it has to be approved by station management." The ban is not total. There are times when local cameras are not allowed at a news scene, inside the labs at Lockheed Martin, for example. "We do occasionally use outside video," said news director Tim Wieland of KCNC-Channel 4. "When we do, we report that fact to the viewer both verbally and visually." VNRs aren't new, pointed out Byron Grandy, news director at KMGH-Channel 7. "I can remember as a weather guy in Lubbock, Texas, in 1982 having Department of Agriculture video sent to us." He said there is a heightened awareness of VNRs. "Even large stations have hours and hours of news to fill in a week. If you're not careful, something could end up on the air that shouldn't be there. We reminded folks of our policy 18-24 months ago." ================================ George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 antunes at uh dot edu Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
