The Federal Communications Commission now says that TV stations must tell viewers the origin of video news releases. So they're going to have to tell you if they're broadcasting free "news" handouts from the government, from drug companies, device manufacturers, or from medical journals like JAMA.
Unfortunately, the FCC didn't clarify what it means by disclosure. And it's not clear how this will be policed or enforced.
FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said, "Viewers are hoodwinked into thinking it's really a news story when it might be from the government or a big corporation trying to influence the way they think. This will put them in a better position to decide for themselves what to make of it."
Ultimately, the National Association of Broadcasters and the Radio-Television News Directors Association should mandate that all members must refuse to use VNRs -- or at least must disclose the source -- even if excerpts of handout material are used.
Posted by schwitz at April 15, 2005 07:56 AM