A final example of the bias in the
media comes from recent television segments about the new Medicare law. Federal investigators are looking into these
segments in which the Bush administration paid people to pose as journalists
and report on the benefits of the Medicare law. The segments were produced for use on local news programs and
some feature President Bush signing the Medicare law as the crowd cheers. The company that produced the segments, Home
Front Communications, say they hired the actress to read a prepared script for
the government. In the reports the
anchors are encouraged to use a certain language that portrays the positives of
the law and then continues on to explain the benefits of it. Federal law prohibits the use of federal
money for “publicity or propaganda purposes” unless authorized by
congress. The Department of Health and
Human Services denies that there is anything wrong with these television
statements while the Democrats are quick to disagree. These types of videos have been used for years however but are
now drawing the most criticism from media ethicists because it involves
Medicare materials. Bill Kovach,
chairman of the Committee of Concerned Journalists believes that any station
that runs the segments should not present them as real news segments (Pear).
Pear, Robert. “U.S. Videos, for TV
News, Come Under Scrutiny.” New York
Times. March 15th, 2004.
“Hoax: Shaq out for year: truth:
MRI today.” Detroit Free Press. Feb 24th, 2005. http:// www.freep.com.
Klinenberg, Eric. “Beyond ‘Fair and Balanced.’” Rolling Stone. Feb 24th, 2005.
Hall, Randy. “Chronology of Rather’s ’60 Minute’
Controversy.” http://www.CNSNews.com. March 8th, 2004. http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=% 5CNation%5Carchive%5C200503%5CNAT20050308a.html
The State of the News Media
2005. “Memogate.” http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2005/narrativ e_networktv_publicattitudes.asp?cat=7&media=4
“Hoax: Shaq out for year: truth:
MRI today.” Detroit Free Press. Feb 24th, 2005. http:// www.freep.com.
Klinenberg, Eric. “Beyond ‘Fair and Balanced.’” Rolling Stone. Feb 24th, 2005.
Hall, Randy. “Chronology of Rather’s ’60 Minute’
Controversy.” http://www.CNSNews.com. March 8th, 2004. http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=% 5CNation%5Carchive%5C200503%5CNAT20050308a.html
The State of the News Media
2005. “Memogate.” http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2005/narrativ e_networktv_publicattitudes.asp?cat=7&media=4