IP Democracy: FCC Aims to Fine Comcast for Airing Fake News

The Hollywood Reporter's Brooks Boliek has this interesting piece today about an FCC proposal to fine cable operator Comcast for airing a video news release in a news program without identifying the content as, well, fake news.

As part of a news segment, Comcast's news channel, CN8, aired the video version of a press release issued for a homeopathic sleep product called Nelson's Rescue Sleep. But, the operator failed to flag that the video came from the manufacturer of the bromide.

Now the Commission wants to levy its first fine ever for failing to identify a sponsored video and asks that Comcast pay $4,000. The fine is a pittance but the precedent troubles Comcast, which claims that the rules don't apply to cable and even if they did, fines can be levied only when the operator accepts some form of consideration for airing the sponsored material.

Comcast claims that its reporters chose to intersplice the video into the news segment and it received no money for the airing.

Posted by Cynthia Brumfield on September 25, 2007 12:35 PM to IP Democracy