Both the administrations of President Bush and Gov.
Schwarzenegger have recently exploited the laziness of TV news
reporters by producing and distributing their own mock news
segments to television stations.
According to officials in both administrations, these tapes are
merely harmless video press releases.
Though they are made with the same medium as news, they are
hardly journalism. Unlike press releases, these tapes look like
complete news stories and even include interviews with supportive
nonpoliticians. Many also include suggested lead-ins that are meant
to influence final broadcasts.
Alarmingly, TV stations have broadcast this taxpayer-supported
propaganda, and in many cases, never disclosed that they were
produced by government “reporters.”
The blame does not rest solely with Bush and Schwarzenegger
““ good journalists should never let the government do
reporting work for them. An honest TV news station should never
broadcast an interview that one of its own reporters did not
conduct ““ especially if it does not properly attribute the
source.
In today’s fast-paced information economy, it is far too
easy for lazy reporters and overzealous politicians to allow the
spread of misinformation. Americans should be more aware of the
origin of the news and more critical of those who transmit it.