Unethical reporting
Ads pretending to be news
Newsgathering can be difficult and expensive and journalists, like anyone else, sometime take shortcuts in the process.
Those shortcuts are usually harmless, but at other times they undermine our trust in their work.
Such is the case with video news releases. VNRs are pre-packaged stories designed so local reporters can introduce them and present them as if they were the reporter's own work. The people who pay to produce the VNRs have a message they want consumers to see and they want to use reporters' credibility to fortify your opinion of their products.
In a story about the practice, the Washington Post said:
Such product-friendly segments aren’t just potentially deceptive; they’re illegal, under a federal law that prohibits “payola” or “plugola,” as the practice is commonly known. Yet similar types of segments have grown as TV stations have expanded their early-morning newscasts over the past decade, packing them with “expert” reviews. And they are especially rife during the holiday gift-giving season.
While news releases aren't necessarily evil -- reporters are free to check the information and present it in a balanced way -- it's how the information is used that is a threat to news consumers.
We have a right to know the source of the information reporters present -- not just who is speaking on camera or who is quoted. If the genesis of a story or the facts being presented are in furtherance of a special interest, it's information journalists are obligated to present.
When we have the facts, we're in a better position to judge its credibility for ourselves and we shouldn't have to guess whether there is some hidden motive behind it.