Fake News? A Survey on Video News Releases and their Implications on Journalistic Ethics, Independence and Credibility of Broadcast News

CHANDRA CLARK & SHUHUA ZHOU
University of Alabama, USA

Abstract
The traditional lines between journalism and public relations are now intertwined and public relations practitioners have an influential role on the content consumers see every day in newspapers and on news broadcasts. This survey looked at video news releases and their implications about journalists’ ethics, integrity, independence and credibility. 533 participants from three different populations (average viewers, communication college students, and journalists) responded to a 54-question survey that employed two predictors (i) level of experience and (ii) years of journalism experience. The results indicated that average viewers found the use of video news releases (VNRs) more unethical than journalists and communication students, although experienced journalists believed VNR use is having an impact on journalistic independence in news. Implications are discussed.

Keywords: VNR, public relations, news, journalistic independence

References

Adrine, L. (2002, February 15). Steal This Video. Retrieved November 10, 2008, from http:/www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4271. Poynter Online.
Ahrens, F. (2005, April 14). Broadcasters must reveal video clips’ sources, FCC says. Washington Post.
Aiello, L., & Proffitt, J. M. (2008). VNR usage: A matter of regulation or ethics?. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 23(3), 219-234.
Aronson, M., Spetner, D., & Ames, C. (2007). The public relations writer’s handbook. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Barstow, D. & Stein, R. (2005, March 13). Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News. The New York Times.
Broaddus, M., Harmon, M. D., & Mounts, K. F. (2011). VNRs: Is the News Audience Deceived?. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 26(4), 283-296.
Connolly-Ahern, C., Grantham, S., & Cabrera-Baukus, M. (2010). The effects of attribution of VNRs and risk on news viewers’ assessments of credibility. Journal of Public Relations Research, 22(1), 49-64.
Curtin, P. A. (1999). Reevaluating public relations information subsidies: Market-driven journalism and agenda-building theory and practice. Journal of Public Relations Research, 11(1), 53-90
Curtin, P. A., & Rhodenbaugh, E. (2001). Building the news media agenda on the environment: A comparison of public relations and journalistic sources. Public Relations Review, 27(2), 179- 195.
Davis, A. (2000). Public relations, news production and changing patterns of source access in the British national media. Media, Culture & Society, 22(1), 39-59.
Farsetta, D. (2005, June 24). Video News Releases: The Ball’s in the FCC’s Court. Retrieved November 8, 2008, http://www.prwatch.org/node/3790. PRWatch.org.
Gold, M., & James, M. (2008, April 9). CBS layoffs signal a financial squeeze on TV stations. Los Angeles Times.
Hanson, G. (2002). Learning journalism ethics: The classroom versus the real world. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 17, 235-247.
Harmon, M., & White, C. (2001). How television news programs use video news releases. Public Relations Review, 27, 213-222.
Hughes, B. (2006, August 17). WHNT admits using ‘fake news’. FCC questions Huntsville station’s use of video news release. The Decatur Daily.
Jain, R., & Winner, L. H. (2013). Country reputation and performance: The role of public relations and news media. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 9(2), 109-123.
Kiousis, S., Mitrook, M., Wu, X., & Seltzer, T. (2006). First-and second-level agenda-building and agenda-setting effects: Exploring the linkages among candidate news releases, media coverage, and public opinion during the 2002 Florida gubernatorial election. Journal of Public Relations Research, 18(3), 265-285.
Lee, S., & Hong, H. (2012). International public relations’ influence on media coverage and public perceptions of foreign countries. Public Relations Review, 38(3), 491-493.
Len-Ríos, M. E., Hinnant, A., Park, S. A., Cameron, G. T., Frisby, C. M., & Lee, Y. (2009). Health news agenda building: Journalists’ perceptions of the role of public relations. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 86(2), 315-331.
Lewis, J., Williams, A., & Franklin, B. (2008). A compromised fourth estate? UK news journalism, public relations and news sources. Journalism Studies, 9(1), 1-20.
Lewis, N. P., & Zhong, B. (2013). The Root of Journalistic Plagiarism Contested Attribution Beliefs. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 90(1), 148-166.
Lieberman, T. (2007, March/April). Epidemic: phony medical news is on the rise. Columbia Journalism Review. In Alexander, A., & Hanson, J. (2000). Taking sides: Clashing views on controversial issues in mass media and society (10th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill-College.
Machill, M., Beiler, M., & Schmutz, J. (2006). The influence of video news releases on the topics reported in science journalism: An explorative case study of the relationship between science public relations and science journalism. Journalism Studies, 7(6), 869-888.
McFarland, M. (2005, March 22). Report on government’s video news releases is alarming. Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Medialink. (2009). Retrieved March 8, 2009, http://www.medialinkproductions.com/VNR.htm.
Rodgers, R. R. (2011). The Social Gospel and the News. Journalism & Communication Monographs, 13(2), 69-134.
Shoemaker, P., & Reese, S. (1991). Mediating the message: theories of influence on mass media content. New York: Longman.
Singer, J. B. (2010). Journalism ethics amid structural change. Daedalus, 139(2), 89-99.
Sourcewatch. (2008, June 26). Video news releases. Retrieved August 10, 2008, http:// www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Video_news_releases.
Steele, R. M. (1987). Video Ethics: the dilemma of value balancing. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 2, 7-17.
Tewksbury, D., Jensen, J., & Coe, K. (2011). Video news releases and the public: The impact of source labeling on the perceived credibility of television news. Journal of Communication, 61(2), 328-348.
Tong, J. (2014). The defence of journalistic legitimacy in media discourse in China: An analysis of the case of Deng Yujiao. Journalism, 1-18.
Turk, J.V. (1986). Information subsidies and media content: a study of public relations influence on the news. Journalism Monographs, 100, p. 1-29.
Uebelherr, J. (2004, March 18). Medicare video news release raises media hackles. Journal Sentinel.

Chandra Clark is an electronic news instructor at the Department of Telecommunication & Film, University of Alabama. She teaches broadcast news and production, social media and media marketing. She is interested in cyber bullying research and research on the influence of public relations on journalistic practices.
Shuhua Zhou is a professor at the Department of Telecommunication and Film, University of Alabama. His research focuses on media content, form and effects, as well as the psychological effects of mediated messages. Because of his professional news background, he often uses television news as study stimuli.