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FCC Probing Fake-News Broadcasts

From the Free Press

Faux tech expert Robin Raskin offers video games as the antidote to scary iPod pornography. What Raskin doesnt mention is that shes on the payroll of the companies whose products shes pushing. The FCC has now launched an investigation into the use of these “video news releases,” which are also produced in great quantity by federal agencies.

Federal authorities are investigating dozens of TV stations for running “faux news broadcasts” made by government agencies and corporations. (Via Huff Po.)
Earlier: See the report that kick-started the investigation.

Independent:

Federal authorities are actively investigating dozens of American television stations for broadcasting items produced by the Bush administration and major corporations, and passing them off as normal news. Some of the fake news segments talked up success in the war in Iraq, or promoted the companies’ products.

Investigators from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are seeking information about stations across the country after a report produced by a campaign group detailed the extraordinary extent of the use of such items.

The report, by the non-profit group Centre for Media and Democracy, found that over a 10-month period at least 77 television stations were making use of the faux news broadcasts, known as Video News Releases (VNRs). Not one told viewers who had produced the items.

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By JP, May 31, 2006 at 8:07 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

It’s about time we demand some accountability.

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By Chris M, May 30, 2006 at 4:38 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

The Daily Show’s Lewis Black actually did a segment on VNR’s and how prevalent they have become along with making fun of them. American journalism has taken a severe nose dive over the past two decades. Anymore it is fluff over fact and style over substance. I get my world news from the BBC along with sites like truthdig.com.

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By Ric Bernard, May 30, 2006 at 11:10 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

I would go so far as to say false or misleading accounts are the norm from corporate news. This weekends coverage of Memorial Day totally ignored, best as I can tell, the validity of the present war in Afghanistan. I cannot, for the life of me, believe that big ass planes can produce such small (pentagon, shanksville) holes. Or buildings collapsing in ways which defy common sense and science.

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