Corporate propaganda on the six o'clock news

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Corporate propaganda on the six o'clock news --- A new study by the Center for Media and Democracy says Americans are still being shown public relations videos disguised as news reports on newscasts across the country. The fake reports are called Video News Releases, or VNRs. They're produced by marketing firms hired to promote products or political messages.

If this story sounds familiar, it's because dozens of stations have already been caught in the act. As we reported on Democracy Now! in April, the Center for Media and Democracy identified seventy-seven stations using VNRs in their newscasts. The findings led to an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission.

Well, despite the controversy, ten of those stations are still airing VNRs today, for a total of forty-six stations in twenty-two states. Most of the VNRs have aired on stations owned by large media conglomerates, such as News Corp., Tribune, and Disney. They've also been sponsored by some of the country's biggest corporations, including General Motors, GlaxoSmithKline, and Allstate Insurance...

full article: http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?s...14/1518200