Join the Fight Against Fake News

Monday on Blog for Iowa, Arron reported that the Senate Commerce Committee was considering a bill, the Truth in Broadcasting Act (S 967) addressing the issue of disclosure on VNR’s (government-produced, prepackaged video news releases).  Here is the watered down version of the original bill passed this week, but the fight is not over….

The Truth in Broadcasting Act (S 967) was considered [this week] by the Senate Commerce Committee. The original bill would have required a "conspicuous" disclosure to accompany any government-produced or -funded prepackaged VNR or the radio equivalent, an audio news release (ANR).

What the committee passed, however, was significantly different. Even the name had changed, to the "Prepackaged News Story Announcement Act."

First, the revised Act drops the continuous on-screen notification requirement for VNRs. Second, it calls for "clear notification within the text or audio of the prepackaged news story," without specifying the minimum requirements for audience disclosure. Most troubling, it allows that disclosure to be removed altogether, following rules that the Act requires the Federal Communications Commission to develop.

According to to TV Week… "The bill clears the way for TV news operations to continue using snippets of government-produced VNRs for [video footage] in their own stories, as they do currently, leaving the issue of how to identify the material up to station news personnel." The problem is that nondisclosure - that's covert propaganda - is currently the norm.

But the fact that the revised Act did make it out of the Senate Commerce Committee is a step, however small, in the right direction. The legislative process is far from over, and the Act's language can be strengthened as easily as it was weakened - if concerned citizens get involved.

The Act's main sponsors, Senators Lautenberg and Kerry, "tried to make it much stronger," but did not have the support of their colleagues. That can change if enough U.S residents call or write their two Senators and Representative, to demand clear, conspicuous disclosure accompanying all video or audio footage coming from the government. In the case of VNRs, that must be a continuous, on-screen notification. For ANRs, that must be an announcement, prior to and/or following the provided audio.

The Center for Media and Democracy has been exposing "fake news," such as the ready-to-air faux TV reports known as video news releases (VNRs), since 1993. Now, we have joined forces with the media reform group Free Press, in an ongoing investigative and activist campaign to say "No Fake News!"

The fight is far from over - in fact, it just got more important. Get active and stay tuned.

(source)

   Unwatchable TV

Charles Miller is a research scientist at the University of Iowa and a member of Iowans for Better Local Television

 

FCC Town Meeting in Iowa City a HUGE Success!

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Iowa City, Iowa Update: Town Meeting a huge success…more than 500 people packed the Pomerantz Center at the University of Iowa to participate in a forum on media ownership. – Free Press

“Forum Criticizes Big Media" – Daily Iowan

"Iowans irate with media," says Adelstein, Broadcasting & Cable, October 6

"We learned last night that people in the heartland see many good reasons to oppose further media concentration. We heard a lot of solid evidence that the area's media may be failing to address key issues of local concern. People decried the lack of serious coverage of the problems faced in their communities. They pleaded with us not to let it get any worse.

"The verdict was unanimous - from elected leaders, teachers, workers, minorities, nurses, parents and grandparents - people are dissatisfied their with local media outlets. The message I will take back to Washington is that we had better address the very real issues raised by concerned citizens of Iowa before we consider further media consolidation."

To read more about the Town Meeting on the Future of the Media, click here.