Oiling The Wheels Of Fake News

In a column for Digital Producer magazine, Steven Klapow recounts that a producer of video news releases for an oil company was under strict instructions to avoid including images, including on B-roll footage, that may not look good for the sponsoring company. "We have to avoid any shots that can be taken out of context," the producer said. The sort of shots that could cause problems, Klapow wrote, includes "steam emitting from a refinery could be perceived or described as smoke" and "any dirty areas in shots that are captured at filling stations." The producers of fake news are opposing the on-screen disclosure of the sponsors of corporate videos.