Government "News" stories: NON-ISSUE!
I was as flabbergasted and frustrated as anyone at last November's election results, but I have to point out that this whole issue of "government produced new stories" is a NON-ISSUE!
For decades PR people representing their clients have written press releases in the style of news stories and sent them to media outlets in hopes that all or part of them would be published. It is standard public relations procedure. What most newspapers do is use the press released as one source of information, add other information and perhaps and opposing view, then publish the story. Only lazy journalists publish press releases verbatim.
VNRs (video News Releases) are just the video version of press releases. Private companies have been supplying VNRs to TV stations since the 1980s. Broadcast journalists know what they're getting, and use the information accordingly, usually by using video clips they can't get themselves or as one source of information for a story they produce themselves. If a TV station runs them unedited, then blame the TV station.
Besides, no one ever complains about government propaganda in the form of PSAs (public service announcements) against things like cigarettes or drunk driving!
Ironically, the "advertising links" section of the CNN story linked above lists ads for companies that produce VNRs, some with more than 20 years experience!
For decades PR people representing their clients have written press releases in the style of news stories and sent them to media outlets in hopes that all or part of them would be published. It is standard public relations procedure. What most newspapers do is use the press released as one source of information, add other information and perhaps and opposing view, then publish the story. Only lazy journalists publish press releases verbatim.
VNRs (video News Releases) are just the video version of press releases. Private companies have been supplying VNRs to TV stations since the 1980s. Broadcast journalists know what they're getting, and use the information accordingly, usually by using video clips they can't get themselves or as one source of information for a story they produce themselves. If a TV station runs them unedited, then blame the TV station.
Besides, no one ever complains about government propaganda in the form of PSAs (public service announcements) against things like cigarettes or drunk driving!
Ironically, the "advertising links" section of the CNN story linked above lists ads for companies that produce VNRs, some with more than 20 years experience!
posted by Dancar | 9:25 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home