Media Runs Press Release as Straight News

Thanks to Ragan's PR Junkie for this post!

Fox News runs GOP press release as straight news. Is that so bad?

Talk about an effective press release. Fox News ran an entire Republican Party press releases—typos and all—during a recent newscast without disclosing the source.

Is that so bad?

Media watchdogs Media Matters caught Fox News in the act:

In purporting to ‘take a look back’ at how the economic recovery plan ‘grew, and grew, and grew, Fox News’ Jon Scott referenced seven dates, as on-screen graphics cited various news sources from those time periods—all of which came directly from a Senate Republican Communications Center press release. A Fox News on-screen graphic even reproduced a typo contained in the Republican press release.

Check out the graphic above. Can you find the typo?

My knee-jerk reaction is moral indignation. How dare they bamboozle us?

But PR pros strive to write great press releases. Ragan counsels them on it. Instead of flogging Fox News, maybe the PR industry should celebrate the GOP for writing a terrific news release.