08 August 2007

did kalb unethically tout a 'video news release' as a legitimate news story?

according to source watch a project of the center for media and democracy: Video news releases or VNRs (also referred to as fake TV news) are segments designed to be indistinguishable from independently-produced news reports that are distributed and promoted to television newsrooms. TV stations incorporate VNRs into their newscasts, rarely alerting viewers to the source of the footage.
wikipedia further explains: Critics of VNRs have called the practice deceptive or a propaganda technique, particularly in cases in which the segment is not explicitly identified to the viewers as a VNR. Firms producing VNRs disagree and equate their use to a press release in video form. The United States Federal Communications Commission is currently investigating the practice of VNRs.
we believe that the 07 august 2007 posting of what the richmond, virginia, media general owned kalb-tv, calls their "interview with bobby jindal" is a video news release or a fake news segment. if you notice on the screen grab or if you click the link and view that page on kalb.com you cant help but notice that no reporter takes credit for this "interview." this is particularly odd. why wouldnt a reporter who just gained "exclusive access" to the alleged gubernatorial front runner not want to receive name credit? you also have to notice that the "reporter" didnt appear on camera either. something deceptive is going on here. we suspect that this "interview" was shot and produced either in toto by the piyush campaign or by a kalb videographer at the direction of the piyush campaign.

for more information see prwatch.org's multimedia report "fake tv news: widespread and undisclosed." read more about video news reports, the tv stations that air them and "the deceptive techniques that newsrooms use[d] to disguise it as genuine journalism."
see also
daily kingfish
piyush "bobby" jindal series
and also
your right hand thief
piyush "bobby" jindal series
related posts
  • piyush "bobby" jindal wst...links page
  • kalb media lies: piyush "bobby" jindal free advertisement posed as an 'interview'