News propaganda

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News propaganda is covert propaganda packaged as credible news without transparency as to source and motivation. The lack of transparency is critical to distinguishing news propaganda from traditional press releases and video news releases.

As with any propaganda, news propaganda may be spread for purposes including political or ideological reasons, partisan agenda, religious motivation, and commercial motivation. In wartime, propaganda can be motivate by national security reasons.

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United Kingdom

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Government produced "news"

The British Satellite News web site claims to be "a free television news and features service", but is provided by World Television, a company that "provides rich communications solutions to corporations, non-profit organisations and governmental institutions." BSN is entirely funded by the UK Foreign Office, which spent £340m on propaganda activities in the UK alone in 2001. [1] [2] The Foreign Office is also the primary funder of the BBC World Service, but as part of the BBC it has complete editorial and managerial independence.

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United States

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Government produced "news"

In the United States, according to a report by The New York Times David Barstow, the George W. Bush Administration has been increasingly criticized for the aggressive use of a tool typical of public relations: previously prepared, ready-to-serve news that big corporations regularly distribute to TV stations in order to sell products or services. What is referred to by the report as propaganda is usually distributed through the use of a Video news release (or VNR).

A New York Times editorial (March 16, 2005) entitled "And now, the counterfeit news" affirms that at least 20 U.S. federal agencies, like the Department of Defense and the U.S. Census Bureau, produced and distributed hundreds of TV news reports since 2001 that were aired as if they were produced by the media. The same report says that this practice was also utilized by the Clinton Administration. Another report [3] details the use of this practice by the United States Department of Agriculture.

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Gannon aka Guckert

In early 2005, James Guckert worked under the pseudonym Jeff Gannon as a White House reporter for the GOP-linked Talon News. Guckert has stated that he obtained frequent daily passes to White House briefings. He attended four Bush press conferences, and appeared regularly at White House press briefings. Questions have arisen as to Guckert's relationship with the White House and with the Republican Party. Although he did not qualify for a Congressional press pass, Guckert was given daily passes to White House press briefings. After Guckert came under public scrutiny, in particular for his journalistic background, he resigned from Talon News. He is under investigation in the Valerie Plame affair.

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See also

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External links

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Sources

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Further reference

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Media watchdog organizations

Some of these have a political slant of their own.

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Movies with related themes