Political Interest Groups Criticize use of Video News Releases
Showing their ignorance of the day-to-day workings of a local television newsroom, the so-called "Free Press" organization has criticized TV stations for using Video News Releases(VNR) which are essentilly pre-packaged video news stories or video footage created by a Public Relations firm, interest group, or corporation.
As a former television news video editor, I take exception to this organization's ignorant and biased criticisms.
These excerpts from a recent FoxNews web news story explain this tempest in a teapot:
"They are joined by some members of Congress and other groups who have asked the FCC to investigate whether the government and broadcasters are violating regulations by producing and airing what they say are deceptive public relations tools funded with taxpayer dollars.
"It's essentially propaganda, it's so-called news that is promoting White House policies and is provided by the government and is not being labeled as such," said Josh Silver, a spokesman for Free Press, a watchdog group that recently helped to collect 40,000 signatures on a petition calling on the FCC, Congress and the broadcasters to "stop fake news."
"This is an outrage to liberals and conservatives alike," Silver said, adding that their petition asks the FCC to conduct an investigation into the use of video news releases."
"FOXNews.com - Politics - Administration, Critics Debate Value of Video News Releases: "What Are VNRs?
VNRs incorporate video footage and hired 'reporters' who conduct realistic interviews and narration into complete segments distributed to news agencies. The hired reporters in the segments do not always introduce themselves as representing a government agency and the release plays through as a typical news story, fitting seamlessly into a television broadcast with little need for editing.
'This, in my mind, is what the government is supposed to do,' in its responsibility to inform the public, said Laurence Moskowitz, CEO and president of Medialink Worldwide, one of the leading producers and distributors of VNRs in the world, counting as its clients both government agencies and corporations.
'If the government doesn't use VNR as a tool, I believe they would be negligent,' he added.
But real problems occur when stations do not identify the source of the material when it airs, giving the impression that the work is theirs, said Bob Priddy, chairman of the Radio-Television News Directors Association and news director for Missourinet, a statewide commercial radio network.
'If people take canned material, whether it's from a government agency or anywhere else, and they don't tell their audience who or where it is coming from, they are lying to their consumer,' said Priddy, who noted that failing to attribute on-air material as coming from an outside source is a violation of RTNDA's ethical code.
But in today's competitive and resource-hungry local television news industry, VNRs are frequently thrown on the air unedited and the government knows it, say critics. And since they are fed from the parent network, which gets the segments typically through sources like Medialink or other public relations firms hired by federal agencies, sometimes the origin of the package gets lost in translation.
'They are frequently aired with no labeling "
After college I worked as a freelance news video tape editor for Florida TV stations like WTOG and WTVT in the Tampa/St. Petersburg TV market.
Most of our news stories would be shot by our cameramen, using our own reporters.
However, the above criticisms of VNR usage, does not take into account a common reality of every single TV newscast. Not all of a local TV stations news footage is shot by the local station.
A daily newscast is a local news station's most profitable show. The rates charged for commercials on the daily newscasts often exceed all other local content on that station. That's why you see so many local car dealer commercials on your local newscast. This show is produced paying as little as possible to technical people and average reporters plus a huge salary to the local anchor.
The daily news production schedule is grueling. Especially for stations in smaller markets with small budgets the pressure to produce enough news stories for a 30 or 60 minute news show is brutal. The deadlines are unforgiving.
To fill the need for more stories and footage, we would often use footage from many sources. Network news footage is often used for the local spin on national stories. Regional news bureaus or for-hire reporters often use satellite feeds to share stories from the state capitols to other TV stations around the state. These bureau reporters often sign off just like they work for each of the many TV stations that run their stories.
Corporations, Public relations firms or political groups often provide footage of topics that the local stations just don't have the money or time to shoot on their own. This video footage can be cut into part of a local reporter's story (often called a package or VOSOT - Voice over sound on tape), used only as a short interview clip(SOT) or the entire provided story may be run.
The point here is that local news casts use many sources of video footage besides their own local cameramen. The criticism of local stations for using alternate sources of video materials shows a profound ignorance of real world pressures facing many small or medium market TV station news crews.
This has been a reality of TV news since the 1960's.
My advice to these politically motivated critics is to shut up, and let local TV News Directors decide what they will air on their local TV news casts.
As a former television news video editor, I take exception to this organization's ignorant and biased criticisms.
These excerpts from a recent FoxNews web news story explain this tempest in a teapot:
"They are joined by some members of Congress and other groups who have asked the FCC to investigate whether the government and broadcasters are violating regulations by producing and airing what they say are deceptive public relations tools funded with taxpayer dollars.
"It's essentially propaganda, it's so-called news that is promoting White House policies and is provided by the government and is not being labeled as such," said Josh Silver, a spokesman for Free Press, a watchdog group that recently helped to collect 40,000 signatures on a petition calling on the FCC, Congress and the broadcasters to "stop fake news."
"This is an outrage to liberals and conservatives alike," Silver said, adding that their petition asks the FCC to conduct an investigation into the use of video news releases."
"FOXNews.com - Politics - Administration, Critics Debate Value of Video News Releases: "What Are VNRs?
VNRs incorporate video footage and hired 'reporters' who conduct realistic interviews and narration into complete segments distributed to news agencies. The hired reporters in the segments do not always introduce themselves as representing a government agency and the release plays through as a typical news story, fitting seamlessly into a television broadcast with little need for editing.
'This, in my mind, is what the government is supposed to do,' in its responsibility to inform the public, said Laurence Moskowitz, CEO and president of Medialink Worldwide, one of the leading producers and distributors of VNRs in the world, counting as its clients both government agencies and corporations.
'If the government doesn't use VNR as a tool, I believe they would be negligent,' he added.
But real problems occur when stations do not identify the source of the material when it airs, giving the impression that the work is theirs, said Bob Priddy, chairman of the Radio-Television News Directors Association and news director for Missourinet, a statewide commercial radio network.
'If people take canned material, whether it's from a government agency or anywhere else, and they don't tell their audience who or where it is coming from, they are lying to their consumer,' said Priddy, who noted that failing to attribute on-air material as coming from an outside source is a violation of RTNDA's ethical code.
But in today's competitive and resource-hungry local television news industry, VNRs are frequently thrown on the air unedited and the government knows it, say critics. And since they are fed from the parent network, which gets the segments typically through sources like Medialink or other public relations firms hired by federal agencies, sometimes the origin of the package gets lost in translation.
'They are frequently aired with no labeling "
After college I worked as a freelance news video tape editor for Florida TV stations like WTOG and WTVT in the Tampa/St. Petersburg TV market.
Most of our news stories would be shot by our cameramen, using our own reporters.
However, the above criticisms of VNR usage, does not take into account a common reality of every single TV newscast. Not all of a local TV stations news footage is shot by the local station.
A daily newscast is a local news station's most profitable show. The rates charged for commercials on the daily newscasts often exceed all other local content on that station. That's why you see so many local car dealer commercials on your local newscast. This show is produced paying as little as possible to technical people and average reporters plus a huge salary to the local anchor.
The daily news production schedule is grueling. Especially for stations in smaller markets with small budgets the pressure to produce enough news stories for a 30 or 60 minute news show is brutal. The deadlines are unforgiving.
To fill the need for more stories and footage, we would often use footage from many sources. Network news footage is often used for the local spin on national stories. Regional news bureaus or for-hire reporters often use satellite feeds to share stories from the state capitols to other TV stations around the state. These bureau reporters often sign off just like they work for each of the many TV stations that run their stories.
Corporations, Public relations firms or political groups often provide footage of topics that the local stations just don't have the money or time to shoot on their own. This video footage can be cut into part of a local reporter's story (often called a package or VOSOT - Voice over sound on tape), used only as a short interview clip(SOT) or the entire provided story may be run.
The point here is that local news casts use many sources of video footage besides their own local cameramen. The criticism of local stations for using alternate sources of video materials shows a profound ignorance of real world pressures facing many small or medium market TV station news crews.
This has been a reality of TV news since the 1960's.
My advice to these politically motivated critics is to shut up, and let local TV News Directors decide what they will air on their local TV news casts.
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