VNRs back in the spotlight
Watchdogs at the Center for Media and Democracy and Free Press released an update on their study on the use on undisclosed corporate video news releases (VNRs) on local news programming. They found 54 VNR broadcasts on 46 stations, with only two airings clearly sourced. Further, they claim that 90% made no attempt to source the segments at all. The study is back upped with video of the offending VNRs. This follows a study which cited 77 stations for the practice. CMD says at least eight of the original 77 showed up again on this round, and cite it as evidence against requests from industry organizations such as Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) and the National Association of Broadcast Communicators (NABC) who are asking that the investigation be dropped in favor of industry self-regulation. "Some stations have developed such an ingrained pattern of running VNRs that even a direct investigation by the FCC isn't enough to snap them out of it," said FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein. "Maybe some have run so many red lights it seems like the normal way to drive. It's time to start handing out citations." VNR unsourced sources included General Motors, GlaxoSmithKline, Allstate Insurance, Novartis and a lobbying firm that represents ExxonMobil, and TV groups airing them included News Corp., Tribune, Gannett, Disney, the Washington Post Co., Sinclair Broadcasting, Media General and Univision. The watchdogs have a serious inside connection which will give their charges more teeth than is sometimes the case in the person of Adelstein, who is calling for the latest crop of stations to be added to the ongoing investigation.
RBR observation:
According to CMD, one of the VNRs "claimed that there is no link between global warming and more severe hurricane activity." That is a controversial statement, and one would not have to go far to find an environmental scientist to refute it. The fact that it was the one from Exxon is a problem - the kind that is likely to draw serious attention from regulators. The good news, we suppose, is that the great majority of stations have not been cited for failure to source VNRs. They do have their uses, but using them improperly with watchdogs on the job is just asking for trouble.
Commissioner Adelstein's comments
Many broadcasters are apparently ignoring the FCC and their own ethics guidelines in running VNRs without disclosure. All the warnings in the world don't help if nobody's listening. When the flock ignores the shepherd, it's time to build a fence. Since the industry is patently incapable of self-regulation, it's up to the FCC to enforce our disclosure rules.
Some stations have developed such an ingrained pattern of running VNRs that even a direct investigation by the FCC isn't enough to snap them out of it. Maybe some have run so many red lights it seems like the normal way to drive. It's time to start handing out citations.
This is not a First Amendment issue. Newsrooms are not allowed under the law to run commercials disguised as news without an honest and adequate disclosure. Clearly, the embarrassment of informing viewers they are merely transmitting corporate propaganda in lieu of real news is leading many to actually eliminate disclosure supplied by the VNR producer. The issue is not free speech -- it is identifying who is actually speaking.
No wonder the public is having a hard time distinguishing between news and propaganda. Americans have a legal right to know that what appear to be independent news reports are actually bought and paid for by a private corporation. Broadcasters need to provide disclosures so viewers can make up their own minds about the story. Stations that fail to disclose who is behind these stories show a lack of respect for their viewers, as well as the FCC and the broadcast industry's ethics guidelines.
We need to investigate these new allegations and get them completed quickly.
