Map of TV Stations That Aired Fake News

Share/Save Share this
Can't see the map? Get Flash
Dot color correlates to number of VNRs aired (more red = more VNRs).

Click on the map above to contact stations that aired fake news in your community.

The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) has documented television 111 television stations -- from those in the largest to the smallest markets -- that aired video news releases (VNRs) or related satellite media tours (SMTs) without disclosure to viewers.

Collectively, these 111 stations reach more than half of the U.S. population. The VNRs and SMTs were produced by broadcast PR firms for clients, including General Motors, Intel, ExxonMobil, Pfizer and Capital One. In almost every case, these television stations actively disguised the sponsored content to make it appear to be their own reporting. Stations routinely failed to balance the clients' messages with independently gathered footage or basic journalistic research.