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March 13, 2005
Propaganda or video news release?
NY Times -- Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged Television News. The government has made for several years video press releases where they hire people to perform interviews and package the material like interviews.
Video releases were started under the Clinton administration and continues with the Bush administration. Segments are sent to TV stations. At this point there's little difference between video and traditional press release.
Many corporations also do this Medialink Worldwide Inc. is a major business in this industry, according to the article.
TV stations air the pieces, but do they let viewers know this is a prepared piece by the interested party? Too often they don't. There's where the foul occurs. Readers or viewers can decide the credibility of the material shown, just let them know the source of the information.
It's a lengthy article, but it's great reading when the news directors try to explain or don't bother explaining why they showed the segments without letting viewers know the source. Also the need to cut costs at local television stations make video press releases a tempting solution in filling the need for material.
Posted by eubie at 2:47 PM permalink
Encouraging us to save
NY Times -- Savings: Lots of Talk, but Few Dollars
Personal savings have declined fairly steadily for more than two decades, even as tax incentives for savings have proliferated. According to a recent analysis by Elizabeth Bell, Adam Carasso and C. Eugene Steuerle at the Urban Institute, the federal government now spends more on tax breaks for retirement savings than Americans actually save.
and
By contrast, one of the hottest ideas in Washington grows out of new research on the behavior of savers. Recent studies by researchers at the Wharton School of Business and Harvard showed that employee contributions to 401(k) plans soared at companies that automatically enrolled employees and gave them a chance to opt out.
Posted by eubie at 2:40 PM permalink
An e-commerce paradox
I can order this teakettle from Target.com at anytime of the day, but it takes seven weeks to ship it to me.
Posted by eubie at 2:21 PM permalink