A video news release ( VNR ) is a video segment created to look like news reports, but created by public relations firms, advertising agencies, marketing companies, corporations, or government agencies. They are reserved for television newsrooms to shape public opinion, promote commercial products and services, publicize individuals, or support other interests. News producers may broadcast VNR, in whole or in part, at their discretion or include it in news reports if they contain information appropriate for a story or that appeal to the viewers.
Critics of VNR call the practice deceptive or propaganda techniques, especially when the segment is not identified to the viewers as VNR. Companies that produce VNR disagree and equate their use with press releases in the form of videos and point to the fact that editorial judgments in eligibility, in part or in whole, of the VNR content remain in the hands of journalists, program producers or the like. The Federal Communications Commission of the United States is currently investigating the practice of VNR.
Video Video news release
Detail
Most VNRs have professional news reporters, people with on-air news experiences, or actors. VNR also often includes interviews with experts (who often have legitimate expertise, if biased,); the so-called "man on the street" interview with the "average" person; and pictures of celebrities, products, service demonstrations, company logos and the like, if any. In some cases, the "man on the street" segment displays randomly selected people and is spontaneously interviewed, and in other cases the actors are employed and directed by VNR producers to provide careful written comments. Moreover, regardless of whether real people or professional actors appear, producers and directors of VNR, like journalists, have the flexibility to quote and edit this "interview" into "sound bites" that help make the point they are trying to make.
Maps Video news release
Media broadcasting
Commercial television stations and other media outlets often broadcast only a portion of VNR. Sometimes they use scripts provided by VNR producers but often they write their own scripts.
In a report released on April 6, 2006, the Media and Democracy Center recorded detailed information on 77 television stations that were said to have broadcast VNR in the previous 10 months, and which VNR has been broadcast. Most of the use of this VNR is a partial feed. However, the CMD says that in every case the television stations actively disguise the VNR content to make it appear as their own report, and that more than a third of the time, stations air the VNR packaged as a whole.
Business production in the United States
VNR has been used extensively in business since at least the early 1980s. Corporations like Microsoft and Philip Morris, and the pharmaceutical industry in general, have all used this technique.
According to the United States Public Relations community trade group, VNR is a video equivalent to a press release. and present the client case in an interesting and informative format. VNR placement agents are trying to garner media attention for other clients' products, services, brands, or marketing goals. VNR gives local TV stations free quality broadcast materials for use in reports offered by these stations.
The Public Relations Institute has their encoded video recordings so as to enable highly accurate tracking of where the video is used. (see: SIGMA (verification service) for additional information).
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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