2005年NPR美国国家公共电台三月-The White House's Use of Video Releases

From NPR news, this is all things considered. I'm Michele Norris.And I'm Robert Siegel.

The White House has come under fire for federal agencies issuing what are called video news releases that promoted administration policies. Video news releases are produced to look like television news stories reported by journalists and they often do end up on the news. But some broadcasters have used them without saying that they are produced by the government. Critics charge the Bush administration is trying to control how the stories are covered from start to finish. NPR's David Folkenflik reports.

On screen, a ship is shown bobbing in the Gulf¹ of Mexico. Government researchers are pursuing a new source of energy there and a reporter says it could well make oil and coal obsolete².

"With so much attention on clean energy for a healthier environment, this research becomes even more vital. In Tampa, Pam Forrester reporting."

But Pam Forrester is no reporter. She is a public relations consultant³ based in T. And that story, it was paid for by 2 government agencies, the US Geological Survey and the US Office of Naval⁴ Research. The story was really a video news release offered to television stations throughout the country. Dandu Brace⁵, the press secretary for the Interior Department which oversees⁶ the US Geological Survey. He says this is another way to reach the public through the media, just like a printed news release.

"It is part of the overall toolbox of communications."

The form of energy extraction described in the video is somewhat controversial. But to hear Forrester's report, you never know that.

Rose Daro is a Democratic congresswoman from Connecticut. She says the government is right to spend money to inform the public, but she says many video releases go beyond that mission.

"What the administration is doing is taking advantage of these tax payer dollar in order to propagandize its proposals through the media."

The use of video news releases is nothing new. Under presidents Clinton and Bush, many videos have been informational about recalled children's toys with the West Nile virus, for example. Ari Fleischer was President Bush's press secretary from 2001 to 2003. He says video news releases help government officials who often find themselves at odds⁸ with reporters.

"With the press saying everything is wrong, the government saying every thing is good. And so the government, Democrat⁷ Republican alike, works hard to get out its story, believing the press won't cover it."

It's tough to say just how widespread the practice is. A request by NPR to the Defense⁹ Department for information about its contracts with media and public relations firms yielded a list of 2,500. The social security administration, by contrast, told NPR it had no relevant documents for the past 4 years, not one. A federal watchdog agency called the Government Accountability Office found the Bush administration has twice broken the law with its video news releases.Gary Kepplinger is the deputy general counsel of the agency. He says the government must make it clear when it's paid for publicity¹⁰ .
"The little shorthand term for it is covert¹¹ propaganda. These materials are being used methodically to disseminate¹² information without the source being identified."

But the Justice Department contradicted the GAO's findings and the White House ordered government agencies to ignore them. President Bush defended his administration's use of video news releases at a press conference last week.

"There is a Justice Department opinion that says these pieces are within the law so long as they're based upon facts not advocacy. And I expect our agencies to adhere to that ruling."

But congresswoman Daro sees the videos as part of a larger strategy to manipulate coverage¹³. She points to disclosures that the administration paid several conservative columnists¹⁴ to help promote its policies. And Daro was set off last year by this video release on Medicare which some television stations ran as a news story.

"The new laws say official simply offers people with Medicare ways to make their health coverage more affordable¹⁵. In Washington, I'm Karen Ryan reporting."

Ryan is a public relations consultant who is paid with government funds.

Former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer says there is nothing wrong with this kind of advocacy.

"I've tremendous faith in the public's ability to listen to it, to see through it and to decide what's right and what's wrong."

But Gary Kepplinger of the Government Accountability Office says the administration must clearly reveal its role .

"We think that the American tax payers are smart enough to realize what's going on and to evaluate the material if they know the source."

Last week, Mr.Bush said it's up to television stations that run the video news releases to tell viewers where they came from.

David Folkenflik, NPR news, Washington.

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

3 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

4 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

5 brace   

n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备

参考例句：

• My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
• You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。

6 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

7 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

8 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

11 covert   

adj.隐藏的；暗地里的

参考例句：

• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。
• The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。

12 disseminate   

v.散布；传播

参考例句：

• We should disseminate science and promote the scientific spirit.普及科学知识，弘扬科学精神。
• We sincerely welcome all countries to disseminate their languages in China.我们真诚地欢迎世界各国来华推广本国语言。

13 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

14 columnists   

n.专栏作家( columnist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This story will be more fodder for the gossip columnists. 这个传闻会是闲谈专栏作家的又一素材。
• The columnists coined the phrase \"to broderick\", meaning to rough up. 专栏作家们杜撰出一个新词“布罗德里克”意思是“动武”、“打架”。 来自辞典例句

15 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。