On the Media: Fake news flourishes under the feds' noses

Hucksters continue to masquerade as journalists under FCC and FTC 'enforcement.'

James Rainey
LA Times
September 18, 2010

An old actor I know would watch a plodding drama and growl, "If you watch closely, it almost moves."

That's the feeling I'm getting, taking a look at the federal government's flimsy and fitful crackdown on news outlets and experts that fob off public relations drivel as news.

I raised the subject earlier this week in a column about Elizabeth Werner, the perky spokesmom who pitches toys during news broadcasts on local stations around the country. She is just one of a pack of paid touts presented to viewers as if they were independent experts.

But does anyone care? The public has gotten pitch-drunk from relentless salesmanship, on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and even their favorite sitcoms and reality shows. TV news producers have to fill airtime with staffs a fraction the size they were just a few years ago. Federal regulators speak loudly but carry a small stick — seldom invoking regulations that let them punish television outlets that don't disclose paid promotions.

(More here.)