More faux news
And the hits keep coming on the fake news front. Today, Friends of the Earth posted two Department of Interior-produced video news releases designed to look like objective newscasts. Both fail to inform viewers that they are government produced, instead opting for "reporters" who end the segments with "In Tampa, Pam Forrester reporting," and "This is Porter Versfelt reporting," respectively.
Critics call the prepackaged newscasts propaganda. And according to guidelines established by the Public Relations Society of America for video news releases, "Organizations that prepare VNRs should not use the word 'reporting' if the narrator is not a reporter." The Government Accountability Office came to the same conclusion in a ruling last year. But the Department of Justice last week overruled the GAO, informing federal agencies that they did not have to identify themselves in scripts for video news releases.
On Sunday, the New York Times reported "at least 20 federal agencies, including the Defense Department and the Census Bureau, have made and distributed hundreds of television news segments in the past four years, records and interviews show. Many were subsequently broadcast on local stations across the country without any acknowledgement of the government's role in their production."
The DOI's faux news segments were not mentioned specifically in the Times roundup of video news releases, and whether they were included in the total number is unclear. But the DOI reports do fit a pattern of VNRs that seem to go out of their way to camouflage their origin.
"The American people deserve to know when their tax dollars are being used to create government propaganda that they are unknowingly watching on TV," said Korey Hartwich, policy analyst at Friends of the Earth, in a statement posted on the group's Web site. "The GAO has already said that the government should not be producing this kind of propaganda. It's time for the Bush administration to put a stop to it, in every department of government."
-- Eric Boehlert
Source: Salon mag 14:59 EST, March 17, 2005 |
Fight fake news
From the Washington Post:
WHAT DOES Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show" have in common with the Bush administration? They're both unabashed about putting out fake news. The Bush administration's version consists of video news releases -- government-produced, government-funded spots packaged to look and sound like regular television reports, complete with fake news reporters signing off from Washington. These are intended to be, and often are, aired by local television stations without any indication that the government is behind them. The Government Accountability Office found this kind of phony news to be impermissible "covert propaganda." It warned the government last month that such prepackaged news stories must be accompanied by a "clear disclosure to the television viewing audience" of the government's involvement. The Bush administration is now instructing its officials to ignore the GAO -- which is where (in addition to the question of comedic content) the administration and Mr. Stewart diverge. He wants you to know his news is phony.
Although this administration apparently isn't the first to use video news releases, it seems more enamored of them than its predecessors. For example: A spot commissioned by the Transportation Security Administration lauds "another success" in the Bush administration's "drive to strengthen aviation security," which the "reporter" describes as "one of the most remarkable campaigns in aviation history."
It's humiliating that local news stations, however short-staffed and desperate for footage, would allow themselves to be used this way. Indeed, as the New York Times reported Sunday, some have even lopped off government attribution when it was included or pretended the government reporter was one of their own. Even so, it's disingenuous for administration officials to blame the stations, given that many releases are crafted precisely to disguise their government origin.
So, what can you do? Glad you asked:
The Center for Media and Democracy is working with Free Press to gather a quarter million signatures on our petition mobilizing the American public to fight fake news and government propaganda. On Sunday, the New York Times reported that at least 20 federal agencies have made and distributed pre-packaged, ready-to-serve television news segments to promote President Bush's policies and initiatives. Congress' Government Accountability Office determined that these "video news releases" were illegal "covert propaganda" and told federal agencies to stop. But last Friday, the White House ordered all agencies to disregard Congress' directive. The Bush administration is using hundreds of millions of your tax dollars to manipulate public opinion. Here's how to stop them.
More here. Petition here.
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