WASHINGTON - November 13 - On Tuesday, the Center for Media and Democracy will release its latest report on the ongoing epidemic of "fake news" on local TV stations nationwide. The new report, "Still Not the News," captures 46 TV stations slipping corporate-sponsored “video news releases,” or VNRs -- promotional segments designed to look like objective news reports -- into broadcasts without revealing their sources to unsuspecting viewers.

The new report is a follow-up to the group's April report on the misuse of VNRs, "Fake News: Widespread and Undisclosed," which prompted the FCC to launch an ongoing investigation of 77 stations. The Radio Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) and the National Association of Broadcast Communicators (NABC) have tried to shut down the investigation. But the new report not only shows that fake news is still a problem, but catches eight stations already under investigation airing new VNRs without disclosure.

The findings of the six-month investigation by the Center for Media and Democracy will be announced at an afternoon teleconference with Free Press and FCC Commissioners Jonathan S. Adelstein and Michael J. Copps.

WHAT: Telephone press conference and release of new report, "Still Not the News"

WHEN: TOMORROW, Nov. 14, 2 p.m. EST

WHO:
FCC Commissioners Jonathan S. Adelstein and Michael J. Copps
Diane Farsetta and Daniel Price, Center for Media and Democracy
Timothy Karr and Craig Aaron, Free Press

WHERE: To join, call 973-582-2770 -- conference code #8109530

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