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The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.(December 2007) Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. |
A video news release (VNR) is a video segment created by a PR firm, advertising agency, marketing firm, corporation, or government agency and provided to television news stations for the purpose of informing, shaping public opinion, or to promote and publicize individuals, commercial products and services, or other interests. In this way, VNRs are video versions of press releases.
News reports may incorporate a VNR in whole or part if the news producer feels it contains information appropriate to the story or of interest to viewers.
Critics of VNRs have called the practice deceptive or a propaganda technique, particularly in cases in which the segment is not explicitly identified to the viewers as a VNR. Firms producing VNRs disagree and equate their use to a press release in video form. The United States Federal Communications Commission is currently investigating the practice of VNRs.
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A few VNRs will feature a paid actor playing the role of news correspondent but most do not. VNRs also often include interviews with experts (who often have legitimate, if biased, expertise); so called "man on the street" interviews with "average" people; and pictures of celebrities, products, service demonstrations, corporate logos and the like, where applicable. In some cases the "man on the street" segments feature persons randomly selected and interviewed spontaneously, and in other cases actors are hired and directed by VNR producers to deliver carefully scripted comments. In addition, regardless of whether real people or professional actors appear, VNR producers and directors, just like journalists, have complete discretion to excerpt and edit these "interviews" into \'sound bites\' that help make the point they are trying to make.
VnR.com is a leading provider of Video News Releases in Australia to most of the major PR Firms.
Commercial television stations and other media outlets often broadcast only portions of a VNR. Sometimes they use the script provided by the VNR producer but frequently they write their own script.
In a report released on April 6, 2006, the Center for Media and Democracy listed detailed information on 77 television stations that it said had broadcast VNRs in the prior 10 months, and which VNRs had been broadcast. Most of these VNR uses were of partial feeds. However, CMD said that in each case the television station actively disguised the VNR content to make it appear to be its own reporting, and that more than one-third of the time, stations aired the pre-packaged VNR in its entirety. [1]
VnR.com says that Video News Releases are no different to a traditional media release. The media has complete discretion with regard to whether they believe the piece is newsworthy and how they will present it.
VNRs have been used extensively in business since at least the early 1980s. Corporations such as Microsoft and Phillip Morris, and the pharmaceutical industry generally, have all made use of the technique.
According to the trade-group Public Relations Society of America, a VNR is the video equivalent of a press release.Statement of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) on Video News Releases (VNRs). Public Relations Society of America. Retrieved on 2006-08-17. and presents a client\'s case in an attractive, informative format. The VNR placement agency seeks to garner media attention for the client\'s products, services, brands or other marketing goals. The VNR affords local TV stations free broadcast quality materials for use in reports offered by such stations.
Public Relations agencies have their video tapes encoded allowing very accurate tracking of where such video is used. (see: SIGMA (verification service) for additional information).
One critic of the VNR technique, John Stauber, an observer and critic of the Public Relations business says, "These fellows are whistling past the graveyard, assuring themselves that this all is no big deal. There was no hint of shame, certainly no apologizing, just apparent disdain for having their business practices dissected on the front page of the New York Times. They are proud of their work."Stauber, John. "PR Execs Undeterred by Fake News "Flap"", Center for Media and Democracy, 2005-03-16. Retrieved on 2006-08-17.
Bob Thomas Productions, Inc.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia
