Defending the line between source and producer of news
[I've asked our nonprofit blogger extraordinaire Jim Barnett to respond to some of the ideas we've been exploring in our NGOs and the News series, cosponsored with Penn's Center for Global Communication Studies. Here's Jim's first take. —Josh]
Back in the 1980s, before they began full-blown advertising campaigns aimed directly at consumers, prescription drug companies used to get a lot of “earned media” time on television by shipping out video news releases, or VNRs, to local stations.
For station managers with limited budgets, VNRs were godsends. The productions were top quality, and they’d typically include interviews with doctors and other experts, as well as engaging video such as pills pouring off the assembly line. All the local anchor had to do was tape a voiceover, and — voila! — news.
VNRs were great for drug companies, too. They got direct access to consumers plus the credibility of their stories being told by local TV personalities. But did they mention the nasty (if rare) side effects or the high cost of their particular brands?
