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 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT:  November  14,  2006  Rudy  Brioché:  (202)  418-  2300 
 e-  mail:  rudy.  brioché@  fcc.  gov 


 COMMISSIONER  ADELSTEIN  COMMENDS  THE  CENTER  FOR  MEDIA  DEMOCRACY  AND  FREE  PRESS  FOR  ITS  CONTINUED  STUDY 
 REGARDING  VIDEO  NEWS  RELEASES 
 Washington,  DC.  –  In  connection  to  the  Center  for  Media  Democracy  and  Free  Press’  second  video  news  release  study,  “  Still  Not  the  News:  Stations  Overwhelmingly  Fail  to 
 Disclose  VNRs,”  Commissioner  Jonathan  S.  Adelstein  issues  the  following  statement: 
 Many  broadcasters  are  apparently  ignoring  the  FCC  and  their  own  ethics  guidelines  in  running  VNRs  without  disclosure.  All  the  warnings  in  the 
 world  don’t  help  if  nobody’s  listening.  When  the  flock  ignores  the  shepherd,  it’s  time  to  build  a  fence.  Since  the  industry  is  patently 
 incapable  of  self-  regulation,  it’s  up  to  the  FCC  to  enforce  our  disclosure  rules. 


 Some  stations  have  developed  such  an  ingrained  pattern  of  running  VNRs  that  even  a  direct  investigation  by  the  FCC  isn’t  enough  to  snap  them  out 
 of  it.  Maybe  some  have  run  so  many  red  lights  it  seems  like  the  normal  way  to  drive.  It’s  time  to  start  handing  out  citations. 


 This  is  not  a  First  Amendment  issue.  Newsrooms  are  not  allowed  under  the  law  to  run  commercials  disguised  as  news  without  an  honest  and 
 adequate  disclosure.  Clearly,  the  embarrassment  of  informing  viewers  they  are  merely  transmitting  corporate  propaganda  in  lieu  of  real  news  is 
 leading  many  to  actually  eliminate  disclosure  supplied  by  the  VNR  producer.  The  issue  is  not  free  speech  --  it  is  identifying  who  is  actually 
 speaking. 
 No  wonder  the  public  is  having  a  hard  time  distinguishing  between  news  and  propaganda.  Americans  have  a  legal  right  to  know  that  what  appear 
 to  be  independent  news  reports  are  actually  bought  and  paid  for  by  a  private  corporation.  Broadcasters  need  to  provide  disclosures  so  viewers 
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 can  make  up  their  own  minds  about  the  story.  Stations  that  fail  to  disclose  who  is  behind  these  stories  show  a  lack  of  respect  for  their  viewers,  as 
 well  as  the  FCC  and  the  broadcast  industry’s  ethics  guidelines. 
 We  need  to  investigate  these  new  allegations  and  get  them  completed  quickly. 


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