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Abstract
This study uses quantitative and qualitative methods to examine television newsroom policies regarding video news release (VNR) usage. Some news directors will use VNRs under three conditions: (1) lack of alternative footage; (2) if it is packaged as news, as opposed to highly commercial, content; and (3) clear source identification. A significant portion of newsrooms have no formal policy on VNRs—pointing to a lack of consensus across US broadcast journalism. As newsrooms grapple with VNR use, news workers will need to move beyond issues of VNR construction and attribution toward determining what makes a VNR an ethical avenue for fulfilling journalistic obligations.
Acknowledgements
The material on which this article is based derives from work supported by The Arthur W. Page Center at the Penn State College of Communications, with funding from the AT&T Foundation, under Page Legacy Scholar Grant No. 3199-WCU-PLS-000. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pennsylvania State University or AT&T Foundation. The authors would like to acknowledge the funding support of Pennsylvania State University's Page Center, through the Page Legacy Scholar Grants.
Notes
1. The concept of news owners here encompasses more than the parent company and its direct financial holdings. Rather, news owners also include a conglomeration of groups that have extensive fiduciary involvement in the economy of the news media, such as investors and advertisers.