Media, Culture & Society

A study was conducted this past February by the Pew Center  www.people-press.org) which analyzed the fact that even though education has risen in the past 20 years, people are not informed about what is going on in the world.

The study found that those who watch fake news programs such as “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” are more knowledgeable about news (such as important political figures) than those who just watch ‘nextwork morning news programs, Fox News, or local television news.

You can access the article here.

this online article from msnbc.msn.com caught my attention because it analyzes how little we as a population have gained from 24/7 TV news.  the survey cited says that if anything, we are less aware of basic facts about our government leaderships, and more aware of politically-related drama.  this analysis reveals how 24/7 news channels fill up their time slots, and forces readers to reconsider whether information surrounding politics is really news or just government-related celebrity gossip.

Grade YOUR news. This website pertaining to the San Francisco Bay area is a great example for other communities to follow. It allows for the public to speak up on how they think the news is doing. Interestingly it heavily criticizes electronic media and their choice of “trivial” news while speaking somewhat more highly of print media.

This is an article that deals with what the title states, the unintended consequences of fake news. It deals primarlily with the way in which the government has gone about and used fake news. It is a very informative article. Click here

In April, 2006, The Center for Media and Democracy issued conducted research on the use of Fake News by Television stations. The Center followed 77 stations that used at least one of 36 VNRs aired within a 10 month period. In August of 2006, the FCC responded by with investigation into these 77 stations. The full report and results of further investigation can be found here.

nbsp;Foxnews.com is just a little excited about acquiring a producer, Joel Cheatwood, from CNN– this article describes the producer’s philosophy on TV news, and his experiences back up that philosophy.  It’s interesting to me that Foxnews prides itself on getting a guy with tactics “which critics called sensationalistic.”  Cheatwood is quoted as having said, “I always felt you could have a top-notch news program that was also fun to watch.”  That’s really great and all, but this is the kind of guy who has majorly influenced the #1 24/7 news station (CNN), now to move on to the #2 (or #3, whatevs– a major news outlet).  Foxnews.com apparently doesn’t see a conflict for audiences who may care more about top-notch reporting than entertainment.  With a guy like this jumping from network to network (he also worked at CBS, according to the article), how can we be sure we’re getting real news, instead of just a bunch of pseudo news?

This articles deals with a local station that is being held under investigation by the FCC for the use of VNRs without disclosing them as such. The articles continues and explains why VNRs are so popular among television stations because of the advantages with it being free and it helps with credibility because they are stories that have already been fact checked. Check out the article here.

In 2006, the Center of Media and Democracy and Free Press decided to submit a formal complaint to the FCC regarding the use of Video News Releases and stations’ lack of disclosure. In April 2006, Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman interviewed FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein regarding his opinions on VNRs. Adelstein calls VNR use without disclosure “outrageous behavior and disgraceful journalism.” The complaint made by the CMD and Free Press suggests that there are direct ties between television station consolidation and an increase in VNR use. To find out more, listen to or read the transcript at Democracy Now!

I noticed there hadn’t been a lot of discussion about the government in relation to fake news. This article from Freepress discusses the Bush administrations use of tax dollars to promote government and “sway public opinion”. It gives a wide range of approaches the PR firms have taken with the government such as VNRs and news articles. Freepress also filed a complaint to the FCC documenting the allegations agains the administration. For further info you can search Armstrong Williams or Karen Ryan, PR reps who specialize in government and educational relations.

This incident might be why local news outlets prefer to keep their reporters home, letting VNRs do the dirty work.

Sorry I didn’t just post the video– I couldn’t get YouTube to acknowledge the blog, so it wouldn’t submit the file. Whatever, I refrained from throwing my laptop out the window, so we’re all winners. (Clearly, this is not the most academic post ever.)

See the video.