Media

Product Placement in the City

by Anne Landman — June 4, 2008 - 3:34pm

If producers anticipated that the new movie "Sex and the City" might be a marketing bonanza, it did not disappoint. Vanity Fair magazine sent two reporters to view the movie and count the number of promotional products that appeared on-screen, including any blatantly-mentioned brand names.

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Vanity Fair, May 30, 2008

The Fever Breaks at MSNBC

by Daniel Haack — May 29, 2008 - 12:21pm

Former MSNBC correspondent Jessica Yellin admitted on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 last night that during the run-up to the war, "the press corps was under enormous pressure from corporate executives, frankly, to make sure that this was a war that was presented in a way that was consistent with the patriotic fever in the nation and the president's high approval ratings." Appearing as part of a panel discussing Scott McClellan’s book, What Happened: I

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The Huffington Post, May 29, 2008

More Bad News for Fake News

by Bob Burton — May 29, 2008 - 1:26am

As we have reported previously, Medialink Worldwide -- the largest producer of fake news products such as video news releases (VNRs) and audio news releases (ANRs) -- has fallen out of favor with inv

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PR Week (US), May 28, 2008

Congress Orders Investigation into Pentagon Pundit Scandal

by Sheldon Rampton — May 28, 2008 - 9:09am
  • Topics: Iraq, Pundits, U.S. Congress, Media, Propaganda, U.S. Government

    • "I believe it is absolutely critical that a public investigation happen that is transparent to this body as well as to the American people," said Rep. Paul Hodes, explaining his decision to sponsor the amendment. "Congress cannot allow an Administration to manipulate the public on false propaganda on matters of war and national security."

    By a voice vote, the U.S. Congress passed an amendment last week to the Defense Authorization Act for FY2009, forbidding the U.S. Department of Defense to engage in "propaganda purposes within the United States not otherwise specifically authorized by law."

    Probably more important is that the amendment requires an investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study and report back to Congress on "the extent to which the Department of Defense has violated the prohibition on propaganda" already established in previous laws passed by Congress.

    The amendment was prompted by an April 20 report in the New York Times exposing the Pentagon military analyst program through which the Pentagon lobbied for war by cultivating former military officers who became regulars on Fox News, CNN and the broadcast networks. As Diane Farsetta and Sheldon Rampton have argued previously, the Pentagon pundit program broke existing laws which forbid government officials from engaging in "publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States not heretofore authorized by the Congress."

    Product Placements vs. VNRs

    by Sheldon Rampton — May 23, 2008 - 3:20pm
  • Topics: Advertising, Arts / Culture, Video News Releases, Marketing, Media


    • The movie "Wayne's World" included an amusing spoof of product placements.

    We recently received an email from someone who asked, "What is the difference between a 'product placement' and a 'video news release' (VNR)? Is a VNR a type of product placement?" Since other people might have the same question, I thought I'd post my answer here.

    On SourceWatch, we have articles about both topics. As our article about video news releases explains, a VNR is a piece of video that is created (typically by a public relations firm on behalf of a paying client) and designed to look like a news segment for broadcast by TV news programs. It deceives audiences by creating the impression that the "news" they see on TV was produced by independent reporters, when in fact VNRs are promotional pieces designed to sell something for a client whose identity is not always disclosed. TV news shows often deny that they use VNRs, but Diane Farsetta, our senior researcher, has done extensive research in which she found numerous examples of the practice.

    "Product placement" is a separate but similarly sneaky practice of getting television programs and movies to display a company's product within their program.

    The Biggest Loser Is the Biggest Placer

    by Sheldon Rampton — May 20, 2008 - 9:05pm

    According to the Nielsen Company, product placements on broadcast television increased 39 percent during the first quarter of 2008. All told, there were 117,976 brand occurrences on cable and broadcast networks in the first three months of the year. The show with the most product placements was NBC's "The Biggest Loser," followed by "American Idol" on Fox, "The Apprentice" on NBC, "Deal or No Deal" on NBC, and "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" on ABC.

    Main Source: 
    Center for Media Research, May 16, 2008

    And the Losers Are ... Kids

    by Judith Siers-Poisson — May 15, 2008 - 12:50pm

    On June 6, limos will be lined up, the red carpet will be rolled out, and decked out attendees will have their photos snapped by swarming paparazzi. But this isn't your usual Hollywood awards ceremony.

    Main Source: 
    New Mexico Media Literacy Project
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