"People in this country have a right to know where their news is coming from, but it's getting almost impossible to know."

— Michael J. Copps, FCC commissioner

Truth is obviously at risk if the Federal Communications Commission has to issue a public notice reminding broadcasters to be honest with their viewers.

The recent FCC notice was prompted by concerns that broadcasters are using what are called "video news releases" without identifying where they originated. The practice amounts to presenting propaganda disguised as news.

Video news releases "are essentially prepackaged news stories, that may use actors to play reporters and include suggested scripts to introduce the stories," the FCC notice said. "These practices allow such externally prepackaged news stories to be aired, without alteration, as broadcast or cable news."

FCC rules require broadcasters to disclose the source and sponsorship of such releases, but often that isn't happening. Commissioner Michael J. Copps issued his own statement accompanying the notice:

"In this era of huge corporate media, it has gotten just about impossible to tell the difference between news and entertainment or to differentiate between legitimate information and propaganda."

VNRs, as the commission calls them, aren't new. They are used by government, private industry and advocacy groups to spread their messages. The FCC notice came after public reaction to reports that the Bush administration is using VNRs even more than previous administrations.

As The New York Times reported: "In all, at least 20 federal agencies, including the Defense Department and the Census Bureau, have made and distributed hundreds of television news segments in the past four years, records and interviews show. Many were subsequently broadcast on local stations across the country without any acknowledgement of the government's role in their production.

"This winter, Washington has been roiled by revelations that a handful of columnists wrote in support of administration policies without disclosing they had accepted payments from the government. But the administration's efforts to generate positive news coverage have been considerably more pervasive than previously known," The Times reported.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal revealed yet another dimension to the dishonest manipulation of television audiences. The Journal wrote about contributors to television news shows who purport to be neutral experts but who actually are paid by manufacturers to tout their products.

"A longstanding principle of journalism holds that reporters cannot have financial relationships with the people or companies they cover," The Journal reported.

"TV shows present these gurus' recommendations as unbiased and based solely on their expertise. But the presentation is misleading if the experts have been paid to mention products on network or local TV."

The key word in that paragraph is "journalism." In this era of pervasive media, journalism has a smaller and smaller foothold. Less of what presents itself as news really is.

VNRs aren't journalism. Anyone who would broadcast them without identifying their source isn't a journalist. Nor is anyone who is secretly taking money to promote something, whether a product or an idea.

The essence of journalism is committing to certain principles, values and standards. Walter Williams, who established the nation's first journalism school at the University of Missouri in 1908, articulated those when he wrote the "Journalist's Creed." Some of its language is dated, but the creed sets out a standard for truth and public service. It begins:

"I believe in the profession of journalism.

"I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected with it are, to the full measure of their responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of a lesser service than the public service is betrayal of this trust."

The full statement is online at journalism.missouri.edu/about/creed.html.

Journalists at The Seattle Times are expected to adhere to this newspaper's code of ethics, which can be found at seattletimes.com/contactus/ethics.html. While the code covers a range of topics, here are its core elements:

"A newspaper is no ordinary business. Our special role in society rises on the pillars of the First Amendment. We inform and protect the public without fear or favor, and must guard against the appearance of fear or favor. Our reputation, and our very existence, relies on public trust."

"Ethical guidelines cannot cover every circumstance or answer every question. They rely on open discussion and mature judgment. These guidelines set the tone for what's expected of everyone in the News and Editorial departments, including those who work on Seattletimes.com.

"The integrity of this newspaper evolves from the integrity of each member of the staff. The newspaper and its staff should be free of obligations to news sources and newsmakers. Because our reputation relies on public trust, our standards for conflicts of interest or perceived conflicts of interest are higher than in many other businesses. Even the appearance of obligation or conflict of interest should be avoided."

Inside The Times appears in the Sunday Seattle Times. If you have a comment on news coverage, write to Michael R. Fancher, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, call 206-464-3310 or send e-mail to mfancher@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists