Vote on VNR Disclosure October 20

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On October 20, the U.S. Senate's Commerce Committee will consider the Truth in Broadcasting Act, "as part of a mark-up session with three other bills." (The meeting will be webcast, at www.commerce.senate.gov.) The Act would require government-funded video news releases (VNRs) or audio news releases to carry a clear disclaimer, such as a "conspicuous" tag reading, "Produced by the U.S. Government" visible "for the entire duration" of the VNR. PR Week assesses the industry's reaction to VNR "flaps" and the Armstrong Williams "imbroglio" and finds it to be "spotty" and "inconclusive." They write, "In April, Ketchum unveiled its first-ever guidelines for disclosure. ... Just last month, Edelman unveiled its first-ever code of conduct for employees. ... Other agencies," including Burson-Marsteller and Porter Novelli, "have not officially codified policies regarding disclosure." See our "No Fake News!" page for actions you can take to demand accountability for propagandists and disclosure of all materials provided to newsrooms by third parties.