The Fake News Hydra Still Bites

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The mythical hydra

"Reports of paid video's demise are clearly premature," writes O'Dwyer's, in a magazine piece on how the PR industry is weathering increased scrutiny over video news releases (VNRs). "An informal survey by one VNR distributor found a majority of stations are still willing to consider video from outside sources." The firm AKA Media "had three blockbuster stories this summer" where their video was seen by more than 57 million people. Reflecting on their success with video for Burger King's Star Wars promotion, Edelman's Kim Metcalfe says, "Ironically, topics that are overtly commercial - where there's no hidden message - still do very well." Hill & Knowlton's Sallie Gaines claims "satellite media tours are more appealing to stations now." And Edelman's Metcalfe adds, "Radio is huge. ... We can easily count on an audio news release, even without paid placement, to generate more than 10 million listener impressions."