By Jan Uebelherr
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Published on 3/18/2004
Excerpt:
Jill Geisler, former news director at WITI-TV (Channel 6) in Milwaukee and now a faculty member at The Poynter Institute for journalists, said video news releases have become more of an issue since they have gone from a tape that arrived in the mail to something that comes in on the satellite feed.
Sometimes images are pulled from them, but their source must be identified, Geisler said.
“Whether that VNR is sent out by the Cabbage Growers Association of America or your government, it is equally misleading to present an ad as news – whether that ad is for a new government product or sauerkraut,” Geisler said Thursday. “Good news organizations see VNRs as a red flag. …
“When a television station chooses to use it as a news report, it is abandoning its mission for independent news gathering. It’s more than unwise. It’s unethical.”
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