Saturday, April 4, 2009

TV Firm's Deal With State Raises Eyebrows

From http://www.tulsaworld.com/ and http://www.newsok.com/ ~ The state is paying more than $3 million to an Oklahoma media company, Griffin Communications, to advertise a state insurance program and the company has promised to air television news stories on its Tulsa (KOTV) and Oklahoma City (KWTV) stations as part of the deal, records show.
One media analyst expressed concern that by taking state money, the company has compromised the integrity of its television news outlets.
“This kind of question arises when news media organizations try to diversify, when they are looking at more ways to make money,” said
Joey Senat, associate professor of media law at Oklahoma State University. “It does create the potential for unethical behavior,” he said.
The key is whether a company discloses the sponsor of the information and “the number of walls they put between the newsroom and the other arm of the company doing the marketing,” Senat said.
David Griffin
, president and chief executive officer of Oklahoma City-based Griffin Communications LLC, said the company believes in transparency.
“We don’t sell the news. We never have and we never will,” he said. “The spots that run match up to our commitment to Insure Oklahoma.”

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