The SF Chronicle reports on Governor Schwarzenegger’s intervention on behalf of business interests to ‘craft “emergency” regulations that would fulfill their agenda: end obligatory meal breaks and place new limits on employers’ liability for violating the law in the past.’ Part of the effort involved the production of a VNR. The story continues “Union groups [...]
The Senate Commerce Committee hearing on S. 967 and pre-packaged news makes for interesting viewing. If you fast forward to 1:12:50, there is a discussion led by Senator Kerry with Commissioner Adelstein of the FCC about the possibility of creating a VNR archive — they seem to like the idea.
Senator Kerry: Last question [...]
Ian Lipner has written a nice explanation of online video for PR professionals. He’s also written about VNRs; don’t miss the bit about pig farmers and bacon.
No, it’s not an oxymoron.
Last week, Senators Kerry and Lautenberg introduced the Truth in Broadcasting Act, which is intended to “to protect the American people from covert propaganda produced by the government.” Written in response to the video news releases produced by PR firms for the Bush administration, the bill would require all broadcasts [...]
Amazing: sponsorship rules are getting re-examined and the FCC is warning broadcasters to identify the source of video news releases.
Of course, the counterpart to this action should be an examination not only of broadcasters’ practices, but also of the government practices which the GAO called illegal.
PRWatch has some interesting coverage of how the VNR story is unfolding within the PR community, including a transcript of a long call between PR practitioners. Best quote from that: “the challenge is, you know, what can PR do to protect our interests and defend itself?”
A parallel story about VNRs in California is also making [...]
It seems a growing number of media outlets are shocked, shocked about the $250 million spent on PR by the Bush administration, most of it for video news releases. NBC’s take on the matter (via Media Matters), is worth watching.
It’s interesting too, to see the fight within the government; the GAO says the tapes [...]
The NYT has a new article out, Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News, which opens:
It is the kind of TV news coverage every president covets.
“Thank you, Bush. Thank you, U.S.A.,” a jubilant Iraqi-American told a camera crew in Kansas City for a segment about reaction to the fall of Baghdad. A [...]