A public relations watch group released a study this month claiming WBRZ, a local television station, aired “fake news” this year when it televised a news segment funded and produced by a corporation.
The study, released by the Center for Media and Democracy and Free Press, surveyed news stations across the country and monitored the usage of videos that were funded, filmed and produced by corporations.
Diane Farsatta, Center for Media and Democracy senior researcher and co-author of the study, said the study looked at the use of video news releases and found 77 stations that aired the releases without citing the maker.
Farsatta said a VNR is a video that is produced and designed to look like a television news report but is provided by public relations firms to air on news stations.
Farsatta said federal law requires stations to disclose the source of videos, but WBRZ and the other 76 stations failed to inform viewers where the video was obtained.
Farsatta said WBRZ aired a video funded by Siemens AG – a company that manufactures equipment used to produce ethanol-related products.
The video interviews employees of Siemens and other related companies and features Kate Brookes, who works for a public relations firm, as a reporter.
Click here to view the VNR used by WBRZ.Video courtesy of the Center for Media and Democracy. You can read more on the ethanol VNR and others here.
Ethanol is an additive that is increasingly being used in gasoline and is derived from corn.
The video talks about ethanol being an alternative fuel source and outlines its environmental and agricultural benefits.
Farsatta said WBRZ used the VNR as a story, did not cite the company and introduced Brookes as a reporter.
Paula Davis, a spokesperson for Siemens AG, said it is a common practice for companies to produce news videos that promote information about their organizations.
Davis said Siemens tells stations they have produced the videos they send.
Davis said the company sends videos they think are relevant to the community.
“We see it as providing a service,” Davis said.
Farsatta said using VNRs is both a legal and ethical issue.
Lou Day, mass communication alumni professor and nationally recognized journalism ethics professor, said there are two ethical issues involved with airing VNRs.
Day said the first issue is source identification.
“If the source of the information isn’t identified, it’s frankly deceptive to the public,” Day said.
He also said a VNR is a public relations release with the intent to make the company look good.
Day said the station cannot confirm the information in the release and has no editorial control of the information in the video.
He said some stations air VNRs and mislead the viewer to believe the reporter in the video works for the station and that it was the station’s production.
“It’s not just that WBRZ is breaking federal law – when they get a broadcast license, they’re pledging to serve the community,” Farsatta said. “The station isn’t serving the local community or the community’s issues.”
Farsatta said communities should be aware of where the news they view originates.
“I would encourage people to contact the FCC and say, ‘I don’t want my TV stations to pawn this stuff out without disclosure,'” Farsatta said.
A representative from WBRZ did not return repeated phone calls by press time.
 
Contact Ginger Gibson at [email protected]