"Fake News" runs rampant on local TV stations:
Channel 9 News Director Bob Morford doesn't want to talk about a Federal Communications Commission inquiry into allegations that WCPO-TV broadcast "fake news," or video news releases from public relations agencies, without crediting the source.
The FCC sent letters to 77 stations last week - including Channel 9 - about failure to disclose the source of news material, as required by the government.
"We had a little bit of luck to find the ones we did," she says. "It doesn't mean that WCPO-TV was the only station in the area. It just means that they were caught."
No kidding. I have an interest in media issues, so I watch local news often (painful as it is). I assure you, they ALL broadcast "fake news" and they do it ALL THE TIME. I have even seen one station put on fake news and then I'll switch channels and see another station show the same story with the same video. And it's happened several times, not just once.
And as if that isn't enough, I've actually analyzed how the local news divides up its time. About 40-50% is commercials (not including the "fake news" advertisements). That leaves about 15 minutes. Weather takes up about 5 minutes, and after that the most time is taken up by sports. The remaining 8 minutes or so is for "news", which consists of things that came across the police and fire scanners.
Local news is pathetic. There is only one good local news broadcast, and that is Dan Hurley's Newsmakers which airs on WKRC every Sunday at 11 a.m.
Can citizens do anything to improve the media? Yes, plenty. I'll address some of those things in an upcoming post.
2 comments:
I look forward to your suggestions. Its important to remind the news organizations that they should be working for us.
By law, TV and radio stations are required to serve the "public interest". But few people are aware of it.
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