Fake TV News

FOX to Be Fined by FCC for Fake News; CMD's Complaint on "Video News Releases" Nets New Proposed Fines

Submitted by Lisa Graves on March 24, 2011 - 9:41pm

Foxlies A FOX News station has been sent a notice of a proposed fine for airing fake news in the form of a "video news release" (VNR) without disclosing that the "news" segment featuring General Motors was produced to promote GM's cars.

As Jonathan Make reports in Communications Daily, the Federal Communications Commission has issued a notice of a proposed fine to FOX's Minneapolis affiliate for what amounted to a commercial for GM's convertibles masquerading as news. The VNR had been provided to the station by "FOX News Edge," which is described as "a news service for broadcast stations affiliated with the FOX Network."

Main Source:

Communications Daily

Shareholders Approve Takeover of Medialink Worldwide

Submitted by Bob Burton on September 28, 2009 - 5:17am

Medialink Worldwide -- the largest producer of video news releases and audio news releases -- has announced that shareholders approved a proposal to merge with TNM Group, a subsidiary of The NewsMarket. Of the shareholders who voted at a special general meeting, 91% approved the merger. In May, TNM offered to buy the company's shares for 20 cents, well above where it has traded before the offer. In the proxy statement (pdf) filed with the U.S.

Main Source:

Medialink Worldwide, Media release, September 25, 2009

One Stimulus Response: Fake News

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on July 29, 2009 - 1:04pm

"You can't pretend like you are broadcasting news when it is a paid advertisement," said Senator Claire McCaskill, urging the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take action against "ads that mimic newscasts, with actors or even news anchors from a TV station," reports Broadcasting & Cable.

Main Source:

Broadcasting & Cable, July 22, 2009

Medialink Worldwide Sinks Further Into the Red

Submitted by Bob Burton on May 16, 2009 - 4:03am

The financial woes of Medialink Worldwide, the largest producer of fake news products such as video news releases (VNRs) and audio news releases (ANRs), continue to get worse. In its report for the first quarter of 2009, the company states that revenues decreased by 34.5% or $1.7 million from the comparable period in 2008.

Main Source:

Medialink Worldwide Media Release, May 15, 2009

The Best Media Chevron Can Buy

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on May 13, 2009 - 1:47pm

When Chevron "learned that '60 Minutes' was preparing a potentially damaging report," it "hired a former journalist" to tell its side of the story. For five months, former CNN reporter Gene Randall worked for the oil company. The subject of his video -- and CBS's "60 Minutes" segment -- is "a class-action lawsuit filed by Ecuadoreans who accuse Texaco, a company acquired by Chevron in 2001, of poisoning the rain forest," reports the New York Times.

Main Source:

New York Times, May 10, 2009

Don't Worry About Larry

Submitted by Bob Burton on May 5, 2009 - 3:35pm

Medialink Worldwide, the largest producer of video news releases and audio news releases, may be crashing and burning with the market downturn but the company's President, CEO and Chairman, Larry Moskowitz, has a nice golden parachute in reserve. In fact, the generous termination provisions of Moskowitz's employment agreement may give pause to companies casting their eyes in Medialink's direction, pondering purchase of the fake news titan.

Fake News Not Quite Dead Yet

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on April 28, 2009 - 9:36am

Despite the financial woes of the public relations firm Medialink Worldwide, which specializes in audio news releases and video news releases, PR Week claims that fake news is recession-proof. "For reporters covering breaking news, live broadcasts mean there's no lag time." In other words, sponsored video provided by PR firms "allows reporters to cover stories while cutting travel expenses." Videos can also help "companies with budget restraints, or corporate executives who want to deliver a message to employees," without traveling.

Main Source:

PR Week, April 20, 2009

Nasdaq Sets Deadline for Medialink Delisting

Submitted by Bob Burton on April 27, 2009 - 4:14am

Medialink Worldwide, the largest producer of fake news products such as video news releases (VNRs) and audio news releases (ANRs), reported that on April 20 it was notified by the Nasdaq Stock Market that shareholder equity in the company at the end of December 2008 was only $2,181,000 when the minimum requirement for listing on the exchange was $2,500,000.

Main Source:

Medialink Worldwide Media Release, April 24, 2009

Fake News Titan Staggers

Submitted by Bob Burton on April 15, 2009 - 2:53pm

Medialink Worldwide, the largest producer of fake news products such as video news releases (VNRs) and audio news releases (ANRs), is teetering on the brink of collapse.

Main Source:

Medialink Worldwide Media Release, April 15, 2009

LA Times "Innovates" with Front Page Fake News

Submitted by John Stauber on April 10, 2009 - 12:30pm

The Los Angeles Times is breaking new ground in the fake news business. The Associated Press reports that the paper "took the unusual step Thursday of running a front-page advertisement that resembles a news story. The ad for the new NBC program Southland [is] labeled as an advertisement at the top but occupies space previously reserved for news. The text is adjacent to a graphical display ad for the show at the bottom of the page. ...

Main Source:

Associated Press, April 9, 2009