FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2004
Journalists Cry Foul
Association of Health Care Journalists faults government stealth ads.
The Board of Directors of the Association of Health Care Journalists finds it disturbing that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) uses video news releases that may be confused for regular news stories. The New York Times reported the practice Monday.
We ask that the practice be stopped. Viewers expect that anyone identified as a reporter is a journalist employed by a news organization. In this case, the so-called reporter was working for a public relations firm hired by a government agency. We find that misidentification unacceptable.
The Association of Health Care Journalists calls on all news organizations to preserve their journalistic independence by avoiding the use of such video news releases. We warn the public to question the integrity of any such message. An HHS spokesman told AHCJ that the agency sees no distinction between a video news release and a printed news release. Even though the videos about changes to Medicare were edited and produced to look like news reports, he said the videos were meant to simply suggest how television stations might report the Medicare story and that the agency had "no expectation" the video news releases would air in full.
"Although video news releases aren't new, and other agencies and administrations have used them, when a government contractor is identified as a reporter, it's a triple assault on public trust. This practice lowers the standards of public service to that of common hucksterism, displays a lack of respect and understanding of the role of journalists in a free society, and undermines the credibility of both journalists and public officials," said AHCJ President Andrew Holtz, an independent journalist in Portland, Oregon.
AHCJ represents more than 700 journalists who cover health, medicine and the business of health care. Its mission is to improve the quality, accuracy and visibility of health care reporting, writing and editing.
