Media

"In 1938, Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of 'The War of the Worlds' caused thousands of people to panic, believing they were listening to a genuine newscast of a Martian invasion of New Jersey," writes Katie Sweeney for Public Relations Tactics, the trade publication of the Public Relations Society of America.

During a video news release (VNR) producers' roundtable discussion, Medialink's Larry Moskowitz suggested that "what The New York Times" and members of Congress "found venal" were VNR voice-overs, the scripted audio mimicking reporters' narration.

"For weeks, it sounded as if amateurs had been bleeding their voices into the broadcasts of stations in Akron, Ohio, owned by Clear Channel, the corporate radio giant." The pirate broadcasters' website contained "a manifesto about 'corporate-controlled music playlists' that took potshots at several local Clear Channel stations." But it was all a Clear Channel marketing campaign, to promote an Akron station's switch to

In a column for Digital Producer magazine, Steven Klapow recounts that a producer of video news releases for an oil company was under strict instructions to avoid including images, including on B-roll footage, that may not look good for the sponsoring company. "We have to avoid any shots that can be taken out of context," the producer said.