U.S. Videos, for TV News, Praise Medicare Law

this is disgusting:



ASHINGTON, March 14 — Federal investigators are scrutinizing television segments in which the Bush administration paid people to pose as journalists praising the benefits of the new Medicare law, which would be offered to help elderly Americans with the costs of their prescription medicines.

The videos are intended for use in local television news programs. Several include pictures of President Bush receiving a standing ovation from a crowd cheering as he signed the Medicare law on Dec. 8.

The materials were produced by the Department of Health and Human Services, which called them video news releases, but the source is not identified. Two videos end with the voice of a woman who says, "In Washington, I'm Karen Ryan reporting."

But the production company, Home Front Communications, said it had hired her to read a script prepared by the government.



edit:

oops, I forgot the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/15/politics/15VIDE.html?ei=5062&en=54335bbfb5679db0&ex=1079931600&partner=GOOGLE&pagewanted=print&position=

In magazines and newspapers they tell you that it is a paid advertisement. Even on TV you know when you are watching an informertial.

These ads looking as news are also a Bush campaign stunt. They want people to feel good about the new law then Bush will take cedit for it. In 2006 people will get screwed but by then it will be too late.

This has been the biggest fraud I have ever heard of in government. Bush lies about the cost. Bribes Senators to pass it. Gives money to drug companies and raises people's cost while telling them it is a benefit for them. And is an attempt to do away with Medicare all together.

Kerry needs to tell this to voters.

n/t

Tut-tut

Wait till millions of retired people are forced into this plan by their supplimental insurance carriers.

Wait till they see how little they get out of it.

Wait till they see that they cannot get any other coverage to help them pay for prescriptions.

Watch the increase of mortailty rates as the elderly and disabled find prescriptions priced even more out of their reach!

from Congress, don't you think this bill stands a much better chance of being repealed than implemented?

Someone please post if the know anything about this...

outrageous!

Wow. What else can we say. Wow.

Has anybody seen the Medicare ad on now that tells everybody they can keep the same Medicare they have now. It's Medicare, only better. They don't tell them they won't get a real prescription benefit unless they give up the Medicare they have. Or that even if they do go with the new prescription benefit, it'll often cost them more than what they get back. It's pure distortion and nobody is calling them on it. And all these government offices are putting out this distortion and people will just eat it right up. I've never seen government agencies just totally agree with an Administration, ever in my life. And to put out ads that are nothing more than campaign ads. It's just insane.

But that's how they get away with it. Because there's just SO DAMN MUCH. It's like the worst plague in history, spreading like wild fire.

:kick:

KICK!

,...rather than a genuine "news release". I mean, C'MON!!!!

...by professional public relations companies, most often working directly for industry. I would guarantee that everyone who watches local news shows has watched numerous 'feature stories' that were actually written and paid for by the subject of the story. This is particularly common with pharaceutical companies.

Get this video:
http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/2002Q4/tsigfy.html

or Read this book:
http://www.prwatch.org/books/tsigfy.html

...and find out.



From Madison, this is Special Media Correspondent htuttle reporting.

I remember when news was news.
I think the low carb craze is part of this consumer manipulation. Too bad so many people fall for it. There will be something new in the diet industry coming that will knock the low carb idea out and desperate people will switch to that too. Food and diet companies make millions forming consumer opinion.

The milk and meat industries are big players in this.

All shams. All adverts impersonating "News"....

'Health desk'? What local station has a 'health desk'?

Also, most local stations have a very limited number of on-air reporters. However, you will note that the PR stories/adverts are always done by correspondants you've never heard of before.

They will also generally be vague, and fail to mention the station's call letters/identification at the end of the story. That's because the exact same video will run all over the country, of course.


Stories about a 'fantastic new health breakthrough', or a 'new labor saving product', etc... All of these are PR-firm produced advertisements masquerading as news stories.

Watch for them -- you'll see.

On network TV, however, they tend to just have John Stossel do these same corporate PR type stories, since he's already on the payroll...

Anne Ryder was the "Health Reporter".
Regurgitated packaged PR puff-pieces from Clarian Health, Community Hospital, Winona Hospital, Lilly, etc.

My local station has a 3rd-party "Health News" segment. parked between Alexis and the CBS Marketwatch and "Focus on your OWN Family" every morning.

And they run stuff from the local Medical Monopoly (Arnett) with "reporters" who are not local.

actor for president, nearly everything became staged back then. How friggen sickening. Guess our "news" is nothing but one, big infommercial now. Pravda?

The videos became more prominent in the late 1980's, as more and more television stations cut news-gathering budgets and were glad to have packaged news bits to call their own, even if they were prepared by corporations seeking to sell products.

...this will clue more people into the fact that much of the 'editorial' they view on TV news is bought and paid for by corporations.

:shrug:

,...by the government!!!! Does anyone know if this is true? Is it a civil or criminal law? What punishment is attached? I mean, if there is a law prohibiting government produced covert propaganda, WHOA!!!