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Fake TV NewsWhat the Pentagon Pundits Were Selling on the Side: Propaganda Meets Corporate LobbyingSubmitted by Diane Farsetta on Fri, 05/02/2008 - 16:30.
Topics: corporations | democracy | ethics | Fake TV News | international | lobbying | media | propaganda | pundits | secrecy | third party technique | U.S. government | war/peace The Pentagon launched its covert media analyst program in 2002, to sell the Iraq war. Later, it was used to sell an image of progress in Afghanistan, whitewash the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and defend the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping, as David Barstow reported in his New York Times expose.
Then there's Pentagon pundit Robert H. Scales Jr. The military firm he co-founded in 2003, Colgen, has an interesting range of clients, from the Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. Special Operations Command, to Pfizer and Syracuse University, to Fox News and National Public Radio. Of the 27 Pentagon pundits named publicly to date, six are registered as federal lobbyists. That's in addition to the less formal -- and less transparent -- boardroom to war-room influence peddling described above. (There are "more than 75 retired officers" who took part in the Pentagon program overall, according to Barstow.) The Pentagon pundits' lobbying disclosure forms help chart what can only be called a military-industrial-media complex. They also make clear that war is very good for at least some kinds of business. A Defense of Even Faker NewsTopics: advertising | Fake TV News | media | public relations
Source: PR Week letters, April 14, 2008 Reed Pence of MediaTracks Communications wants his fellow public relations professionals to know there's nothing wrong with "guaranteed placement" -- paying to have radio or television stations air fake news. "Many PR pros face the challenge of acquiring coverage for a product that isn't newsworthy," he writes in a letter to PR Week. "Some believe that [guaranteed placement] is just advertising," but it's not, he claims. "For example, when presented as part of a nationally syndicated radio news program, an audio news release might only have news content surrounding it. Selecting this vehicle eliminates the 'situated among advertisements' concern that listeners might tune the message out." Though Pence suggests using guaranteed placement for "stories with less news value," he also claims that stations air the guaranteed spots "not because they are paid to do so, but because the programs provide a service to listeners." Medialink's 'Fake News' Financial WoesTopics: Fake TV News | international | marketing | media | public relations | secrecy | U.S. government | video news releases
The giant of the fake news business, Medialink Worldwide, has fallen out of favor with investors. In the last year the company's share price has plummeted from $5.81 to its current level around the $1.70 mark. In its latest annual report, the company glumly states that sales in 2007 in the U.S. from its "media communications services" -- which includes the production of video news releases (VNRs) and audio news releases (ANRs) -- dropped by 4.8% compared to 2006. The only upside was that revenue from fake news grew by 28% from its United Kingdom office. Despite this, the company recorded a net loss of just over $4.6 million on revenues of $33.4 million. Medialink notes that while Federal Communications Commission action enforcing on-air disclosure of the sponsors of VNRs and ANRs would not preclude their use, it "could have the effect of reducing the number of broadcasters that air our clients' material." The FCC acted in response to CMD's Stop Fake News campaign. Think Tank Citations SinkTopics: Fake TV News | health | journalism | think tanks
"The 25 most media-prominent think tanks were cited 17 percent less in 2007 than they were the year before," according to an annual survey by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR). "The overall ideological breakdown was the same ... 47 percent of citations went to centrist think tanks, 37 percent to conservative or right-leaning think tanks, and 16 percent to progressive or left-leaning think tanks." The downward trend "is not necessarily a bad thing. ... Given that FAIR's surveys have consistently found that these supposedly detached experts actually tilt toward the center-right, fewer of them spinning and shaping news coverage may be a net plus for media transparency, if not diversity." The current issue of FAIR's magazine "Extra!" also contains the group's annual "Fear & Favor" report. Among the news outlets mentioned is Portland's KOIN-TV, which CMD documented airing a video news release. KOIN merited mention for its "weekly medical report," which is sponsored by Providence Health Systems and consistently features Providence experts and information. MultiVu Goes MultiCulturalTopics: Fake TV News | internet | race/ethnic issues | video news releases
The PR firm MultiVu has a new "social media news release targeting the U.S. Hispanic audience," reports PR Week. Its "Interactivo Multimedia News Release" (IMNR) distributes fake news "broadcast content, photos, and text to Hispanic social networks and news sites. Video content will also be distributed to video-sharing sites such as MiGente and HispaVista. And IMNR content will appear in Spanish on the Reuters billboard in Manhattan's Times Square." MultiVu parent company PR Newswire purchased Hispanic PR Wire in January. MultiVu's new division, "MultiVu Latino," is headed by Hispanic PR Wire co-founder Manny Ruiz. Robin Raskin Puts Fake News in PerspectiveTopics: children | corporations | Fake TV News | marketing | media | third party technique | video news releases
Duby-ous in ConnecticutTopics: ethics | Fake TV News | media | public relations
FCC to Extend a Life Raft to News ViewersTopics: corporations | Fake TV News | journalism | U.S. government | video news releases
Weekly Radio Spin: A Strange Attraction to Fossil FuelTopics: advertising | cause-related marketing | ethics | Fake TV News | health | pharmaceuticals | public relations | science | war/peace | Weekly Radio Spin
Former FEMA Staffer Walks off with PIERTopics: crisis management | democracy | Fake TV News | media | public relations | U.S. government
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