There's a great letter from a range of advocacy groups, and Reps. Ed Markey and Henry Waxman, calling on the FCC to strengthen its rules re: product placement on TV.
Below are two emails from activist Nancy Marsden. The first, which I received on Aug. 12, lays out the issue clearly. The second, which I got yesterday, makes clear that the coalition would like as many signatories, and comments, as possible, and as soon as possible. That email offers clear instructions as to how to sign and, if you're so inclined, to comment. MCM Dear Dr. Miller, I know the election is the top consideration right now, but I am seeking your assistance on a "sleeper" issue that you wrote about long before anyone else: product placement and product integration. I'm hoping you will consider writing a comment for the current FCC inquiry and rule making procedure. As a consultant in integrated marketing, I'm working with a coalition of 23 health, media and child advocacy groups, as well as the Consumer's Union and the Writer's Guild of America (WGA), in an effort to assist the FCC to pass effective regulation. As you can imagine, there is heavy lobbying by the advertising and entertainment industries. The FCC's longstanding "sponsorship identification rule" requires disclosure of all paid messages broadcast over the public airwaves. Concerns have been raised by writers at the WGA, by our groups and by Congressmen Markey (D-MASS) and Waxman (D-CA) that the current rules are inadequate, particularly since disclosures, when they appear at all, are so rapid and miniscule they cannot be seen. The Commission initiated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on June 26. The deadline for comments is September 22. Would you consider writing a comment? Your background and insight would be critical to the discussion. The coalition's letter to the FCC, and our signatory groups, can be found at: <http://commercialfreechildhood.org/pdf/nprm/coalitionletter.pdf>http://commercialfreechildhood.org/pdf/nprm/coalitionletter.pdf The FCC has limited scope, as you know, and disclosure is a poor second to a ban of certain types of integrated messaging. However, the sponsorship ID rule is a wedge which can lead to policy which will support the next step, a more comprehensive (3rd!) petition to the FTC next year. I have attached a list of the FCC's questions for comment. Please consider selecting any aspect(s) of the inquiry that interest you, and then writing a focused comment directed to that section. If you would like to do so, please let me know, and I will forward any other information you may need. Hope you will participate -- it's very important, because as you know, the hijacking of storytelling by persuaders cuts to the heart of media integrity and the flow of information and entertainment in a democratic society. Thank you in advance for considering my request. Sincerely, Nancy Marsden Dear Dr. Miller, Thank you again for signing the Fairness and Integrity in Telecommunications Media letter. To view the document on the FCC site, type in the docket number 08-90 in the upper left box and hit enter: <http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/comsrch_v2.cgi>http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/comsrch_v2.cgi The docket is still open, and it would be great if the FCC were flooded with individual comments. If you are inclined to put this out on your site as you had mentioned: Directions: 1. Click this link: <http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/upload_v2.cgi>http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/upload_v2.cgi. 2. In the upper left box type in the docket number 08-90 3. Type in name and address. 4. Scroll down to the "Send Brief Comment" option at the bottom and type in comment, which will be displayed in the docket with the other comments. Talking Points for your people: a) Viewers have a right to know when someone is trying to sell them something, and who is profitting from the message. b) When marketers pay to doctor creative content, promotional bias may not be salient to the viewer --especially youth. c) Weak disclosure rules allow corporations to market under the radar, avoiding accountability, especially for harmful and addictive products, unethical messages, youth marketing, and for companies that face opposition from the public. d) Embedded advertising is an invitation to propaganda masquerading as entertainment or news. ACTIONS: The FCC must revise its Sponsorship Identification rules. For adults, disclosure must be clear, precise, timely and conspicuous. In addition, the rules MUST be extended to cable networks, which currently have no disclosure requirements. Finally, the FCC must protect children and teenagers, who may not read or understand disclosures. Thank you again, Dr. Miller. Seeing Through Movies was an inspiration when I began my research on product placement back in the 90's. Best regards, Nancy Marsden --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's "News From Underground" newsgroup. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR go to http://groups.google.com/group/newsfromunderground and click on the "Unsubscribe or change membership" link in the yellow bar at the top of the page, then click the "Unsubscribe" button on the next page. For more News From Underground, visit http://markcrispinmiller.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
