"If viewers were confused before, they'll certainly have a hard time discerning news updates from mini-informercials now," writes Joe Mandese, on how Medialink Worldwide [3] is "morphing" news and public relations. Medialink "says 'branded journalism' is the best way to advertise in a splintered market. Instead of sending out video news releases [4] in hopes that stations and cable networks will air them, PR firms [5] are actually creating the newscast, then buying spots on networks the way a Madison Avenue (advertising) firm [6] would." Moreover, "secured VNR buys are much more cost-effective than conventional ad buys," and have "built-in controls that unpaid PR tactics lack, including the ability to target specific demographics and to conduct a post-buy analysis of audience delivery."