PR Exec: Fake TV News is Good for You!

by Bob Burton — May 2, 2006 - 5:34am
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In a contributed column titled "Are Video News Releases All Bad?," Kevin E. Foley, the president of the Atlanta-based PR company KEF Media Associates, criticized the Center for Media and Democracy's (CMD) recent report on the widespread and undisclosed use of video news releases (VNRs). Foley acknowledges that television stations often use VNRs as a cheap source of "news" filler but defends their use without disclosing who sponsored them. He argued, "CMD would have us believe that some great social harm is being done if a VNR isn’t attributed, but if the newscaster airs a story that holds the viewer's attention and the viewer walks away informed or entertained, who has been hurt?" The report documented an instance where Ohio-based WYTV-33 broadcast an 80-second news feature on MimyX, a prescription skin cream for eczema, where safety information included in the VNR was entirely edited out of the "story."

Main Source: 
Broadcasting & Cable, May 1, 2006

Comments

Wait no longer, Kevin...

Submitted by John Stauber on May 4, 2006 - 10:56am.

Our books our currently published by Penguin, and indeed they use marketing techniques to advertise and publicize the books. All profits and proceeds from the sale of our books go to the non-profit Center for Media and Democracy where Sheldon Rampton and I work.

good to know

Submitted by Kevin Foley on May 4, 2006 - 11:38am.

Kevin Foley

I assume you collect a pay check from CMD, and so I also assume, the more books you and Sheldon sell, the bigger the paycheck, since you and Sheldon run the CMD.

It would seem, then, that CMD is engaged in a commercial enterprise, much like those clients I work for. Not making a judgement, mind. In fact, we agree that the use of publicity tactics that include things like slick press kits with suggested questions for journalists and VNRs can really help push sales of products like books by creating public awareness of and demand for them.

No doubt Penguin Group USA is grateful to you and Sheldon for your help in pushing up their earnings, too.

VNRs

Submitted by Kevin Foley on May 3, 2006 - 10:12am.

Thanks for your thoughts, John. A couple of things, though.

First, I am very proud of what I do for my clients as a paid advocate and have never tried to hide my identity or misrepresent our services to the news media. I have never produced a VNR that contained anything but the truth.

Second, we don't have any government clients. We once did some VNRs on stamps that raise public awareness of adoption, Cesar Chavez and diabetes for the postal service.

Third, it's interesting you bring up the Internet. In about a month we will be launching a site that offers all our content to all media, broadcast, print or web anywhere in the world 24/7/365. You can even log in and download if you'd like. Thanks for the offer, but we can handle the technical here. BTW, I didn't know you could read minds! You know "I won't take up the challenge"???

John, since we're on the topic of "fake news", maybe you can explain how almost 10 years ago, with no formal medical or scientific training, you could convince the major news media you're a mad cow "expert" and predict in subsequent interviews a mad cow epidemic that never happened? That sounds a lot more like fake news to me.