In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
Video News Releases and your tax dollars
In 1989 I interviewed with a division of ABC News that produced "Video News Releases." As was explained to me at the interview, video news releases are fake news stories paid for by corporations submitted to local stations that have little production budgets themselves who will air such stories as filler on slow news days. An example given to me was say if campbell's soup wanted to get some good publicity, they'd pay this division some money to do a story on botulism and how modern canning methods were making it a "disease of the past." Nothing outright promotional would be run in the story, but the story might feature a Campbell's soup executive explaining the priority defeating botulism has been for the company and how their cunning canning had helped the whole industry put this disease to rest. The story would be send to most of the local stations in the united states, both as a narrated story, or as a silent story with a script so the local station could have one of their own reporters narrate the story as if they had done the story themselves.
I told the interviewer that morality and ethics aside the job seemed interesting. I didn't get the job (I didn't get many jobs in 1989 come to think of it).
Stations still run video news releases as actual news all the time on your local stations, its a disgusting practice of advertising parading as information. At least it was limited to corporations... well, until Bush, who runs the government just like a company... a sleazy company.
U.S. Videos, for TV News, Come Under Scrutiny
WASHINGTON, March 14 — Federal investigators are scrutinizing television segments in which the Bush administration paid people to pose as journalists praising the benefits of the new Medicare law, which would be offered to help elderly Americans with the costs of their prescription medicines.
The videos are intended for use in local television news programs. Several include pictures of President Bush receiving a standing ovation from a crowd cheering as he signed the Medicare law on Dec. 8.
The materials were produced by the Department of Health and Human Services, which called them video news releases, but the source is not identified. Two videos end with the voice of a woman who says, "In Washington, I'm Karen Ryan reporting."
But the production company, Home Front Communications, said it had hired her to read a script prepared by the government.
Another video, intended for Hispanic audiences, shows a Bush administration official being interviewed in Spanish by a man who identifies himself as a reporter named Alberto Garcia.
Another segment shows a pharmacist talking to an elderly customer. The pharmacist says the new law "helps you better afford your medications," and the customer says, "It sounds like a good idea." Indeed, the pharmacist says, "A very good idea."
The government also prepared scripts that can be used by news anchors introducing what the administration describes as a made-for-television "story package."
In one script, the administration suggests that anchors use this language: "In December, President Bush signed into law the first-ever prescription drug benefit for people with Medicare. Since then, there have been a lot of questions about how the law will help older Americans and people with disabilities. Reporter Karen Ryan helps sort through the details."
The "reporter" then explains the benefits of the new law.
Yep, the medicare plan again. Is anything about that plan above board?
- rob 3:46 PM - [PermaLink] -
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