Video news releases (VNRs) aren't just for television anymore. "Hurt by public criticism of VNRs, possible Federal Communications Commission oversight, and a shrunken news hole," broadcast PR firms "are looking for ways to survive -- and making the Internet a bigger part of their offerings could be the answer," writes PR Week. "We have to utilize different tools to reach consumers on multiple platforms," explained MultiVu's Beverley Yehuda. "Podcasting is becoming perhaps a greater-use element of [VNRs] than broadcasting," according to Jack Trammell of VNR-1 Communications. "Broadcast is about reaching a massive audience," while websites allow "meaningful interactions" with thousands of people, explained Medialink Worldwide's Larry Thomas. VNRs and B-roll videos are being posted to video-sharing sites like YouTube, company websites, and news outlets' websites. "There is more usage of video by news organizations than ever before, whether broadcast or online," said The NewsMarket's Shoba Purushothaman, adding that "newspaper Web sites are hungry for video content."

The Canadian Nuclear Association's $1.7 million ad campaign touting nuclear power as "clean, reliable and affordable" is the target of a false-advertising complaint filed by a coalition of environmental, health and church groups. "Our concern is that the nuclear industry's advertising budget and approach distorts objective decisions ... about the future of [Canada's] electricity system," explained Julia Langer of WWF-Canada. The formal complaint, filed with Canada's Competition Bureau, says that presenting nuclear power as "clean" is misleading, given hazardous byproducts "from the mining of uranium fuel" and the radioactive waste generated by nuclear reactors, which "remains dangerous for thousands of years." Dennis Bueckert reports, "Canada still lacks a plan for permanent disposal of nuclear waste although the problem has been under study for many years." The Competition Bureau "receives 40,000 complaints a year," and does not investigate every one.

The Save the Internet Coalition has released a new video explaining the issues at stake in the net neutrality debate. CMD's own recently-released Falsies Awards gave the telecom industry a Bronze Falsie for its deceptive use of more than a dozen industry-funded front groups to oppose net neutrality.

The spin-driven restaurant and beverage industry front group, the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), has created a grass roots compilation of city, county and state efforts to ban added trans fats in restaurant food. From Boston's Health Commissioner to Cleveland's City Council to Washington State's Board of Health, various government agencies nationwide are sponsoring ordinances, regulations and laws to forbid partially hydrogenated oils. "We know that trans fat consumption leads to serious health problems and we believe that it's government's role...to do what we can to encourage people to consume healthy food," CCF's "Daily Headlines" quotes Boston Public Health Commission executive director John Auerbach. CCF also notes budding Chicago action and quotes Alderman Edward Burke--once famous for stalling progressive ordinance proposals under the late Mayor Harold Washington--calling trans fats "cruelty to human beings." CCF calls New York City's landmark December 2006 ban "outrageous" and derides all the anti-trans fat lawmakers as "having nothing better to do."