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Hospital Flacks Spread Fake News

Journalists’ groups are concerned about broadcast outlets using video news releases produced by pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers

By Emily Udell

When Glen Mabie’s boss at WEAU-TV-13 told him he would have to start running stories suggested by a local hospital, featuring its staff and services, Mabie quit in protest. The agreement with the hospital would have prevented the Eau Claire, Wis., station from using sources from other area hospitals in its stories. “I was between a rock and a hard place,”… return to article

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