Diane Farsetta's News Articles

Video News Releases: The Ball's in the FCC's Court

by Diane Farsetta — June 24, 2005 - 1:30pm
  • Topics: Media, Public Relations, U.S. Government

    • Whither the fight against fake news?

    In April, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a Public Notice on video news releases (VNRs), video segments designed to be indistinguishable from actual TV news reports. According to the FCC, current regulations mandate that viewers be told the source of a VNR only when stations are paid to air it, or when the VNR deals with a political matter or controversial issue. The Public Notice also asked for further information on the use of VNRs.

    In response, nine comments were filed by the FCC's June 22 deadline. Two were filed by individuals supporting additional measures to ensure disclosure. Six were filed by VNR companies and associations of broadcasters and public relations practitioners. Not surprisingly, these argued against strengthening disclosure rules.

    U.S. Senate Holds "Fake News" Hearing: PR Industry Imitates Big Tobacco

    by Diane Farsetta — May 13, 2005 - 10:28am
  • Topics: Media, Public Relations, U.S. Government

    • Anyone who's ever looked at a package of cigarettes in the United States since 1965 is familiar with the Surgeon General's warning labels.

    A Bumper Crop of Government-Produced "News": The USDA's Broadcast Media and Technology Center

    by Diane Farsetta — April 21, 2005 - 2:21pm
  • Topics: Agriculture, Media, U.S. Government

    • "Beef trade with Japan and Canada was on the minds of producers at the annual National Cattlemen's Beef Association convention in San Antonio, Texas," a man's voice intones, as the television news segment opens with a shot of a slowly rotating sign reading "U.S. Premium Beef." The voice continues, "Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns addressed the gathering and afterward took questions from the media."

    The FCC on "Fake News": Who's Trying to Persuade You?

    by Diane Farsetta — April 14, 2005 - 12:31pm
  • Topics: Activism, Media, Public Relations, U.S. Government

    • "Listeners and viewers are entitled to know who seeks to persuade them," noted the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, in a Public Notice (PDF file, Word file) released last night.

    Desperately Seeking Disclosure: What Happens When Public Funds Go To Private PR Firms?

    by Diane Farsetta — March 9, 2005 - 11:42am
  • Topics: Public Relations, U.S. Government

    • In some ways, Armstrong Williams got a bad rap.

    The conservative Black commentator, who was paid $240,000 by the U.S. Department of Education to advertise and advocate for the controversial "No Child Left Behind" law, lost his syndicated newspaper column and was pilloried for not disclosing the payment.

    How Indonesia Wins Friends and Influences U.S. Foreign Policy

    by Diane Farsetta — February 3, 2005 - 6:07pm
  • Topics: Human Rights, Public Relations

    • "I hope that, as a result of our efforts, as a result of our helicopter pilots' being seen by the citizens of Indonesia helping them, that value system of ours will be reinforced," said Colin Powell, one week after the tsunami wrought havoc across South and Southeast Asia.

    Happy Birthday, Mad Cow! One Year Later, the Spin Remains the Same

    by Diane Farsetta — December 22, 2004 - 9:36am
  • Topics: Mad Cow Disease, Health, Public Relations

    • For a while, it looked as though one lone cow might succeed.

    Government officials promised to implement food safety measures long championed by consumer, family farm, health, environmental, and public interest organizations. Industry groups -- and their former lobbyists now working for regulatory agencies -- were on the defensive.

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