| Grading the Graders:
Your article about NewsProNet and how so many
stations across the country utilize stories that
we produce contained several significant omissions
and inaccuracies. I found it curious that you
would choose to downplay the information about
how each topic is fully sourced, providing the
local stations with direct contact information
for all experts and sources involved in each story.
We think this provides a significant journalistic
safeguard and our clients continually tell us
how useful and important this information is to
them. |
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GTN
comments: The question is whether the
public, not the local station, is safeguarded
journalistically. If these stations are provided
detailed information on sources separately from
the piece and nearly all decide not to use it,
then the viewers are the ones who are deprived
of context through that intentional omission. |
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Using a “secrecy”
conspiracy as the theme of your story was in
itself sensational. We do not seek to operate
covertly. We have a web site and a station list.
That’s how you found us. Companion content
for each story used by our clients on their
web sites includes our name. We do concern ourselves
with providing stations in various geographic
regions with stories that will not visually
feel out of place within their local newscasts,
although we do not make any effort to hide or
avoid referencing locations when they are important
and relevant to the story itself. In fact, we
clearly identify the locations of all subjects
in the scripts and additional background material
we provide to each station that receives our
services. We’re also far from alone in
providing material to stations that they call
their own, although we are pleased to be recognized
above the networks and the many other content
providers and feed services that contribute
a great deal of content of interest and meaning
to local news viewers who watch local newscasts
in markets of all sizes across the country. |
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GTN:
NewsProNet is clearly not a secret to its subscriber
stations, but it does encourage its stations to
obscure the origin of the material. Why else would
NewsProNet call its premier service, SweepsFeed,
“the secret behind some of the most successful
local television special reports units in North
America”? The Web site is full of suggestions
that local stations “re-track,” or
re-record, and take full credit for completed
pieces they had no hand in creating. It’s
unclear what bearing the existence of other syndication
services that may have deceptive practices has
on those of NewsProNet. Locations of sources matter
because without them, it is impossible for viewers
to judge whether a story is important in their
community, or merely to one person somewhere in
the nation. Making stories appear local powerfully
magnifies their perceived importance to viewers. |
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Most importantly, we stand
by the accuracy and validity of the story you
referenced and every story we produce. In an
effort to address the specific information that
we feel you reported incompletely and out of
context, here is our response:
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1. You took issue with the statement in
the story that Innovis is, in effect, unknown or secret.
That statement didn't come from us, but from several consumer
advocates along with the Federal Trade Commission. The consumer
advocates we spoke with told us that the majority of people
do not know the company exists. One well-known credit expert
told us, "They're kind of moving by stealth" and
that "they’re not broadcasting that they’re
around." The FTC told us that Innovis is fairly new
and that it's important for all people to know about all
the credit agencies to make sure information about them
is accurate.
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GTN:
There is a big difference between unknown and
“secret,” the term used in several
local versions of the Innovis story. Many thousands
of companies have Web sites and 800 numbers but
do not broadcast their existence. Are they “secret”?
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2. To prove your point that
Innovis is known, you mention that Innovis
has a website. That, of course, is true. In
fact, we mentioned that in our piece. The
credit experts we spoke with, however, state
that Innovis is much harder to get information
from than the other major credit bureaus.
At the time of our story, Innovis offered
no link, information, or phone number on its
site by which people could obtain their personal
information. The other credit bureaus post
credit histories online. As we mentioned in
our story, we had to contact Innovis company
headquarters to get a number for recorded
instructions in order to request the Innovis
credit report that we obtained as part of
our reporting of this story.
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GTN:
This much is true. Innovis is difficult to contact.
But to call it a “secret” credit bureau
is an exaggeration. The NBC 11 story claimed Innovis
was collecting information “without your
knowledge.” All credit bureaus collect information
without notifying consumers. |
3. You state that Innovis doesn't report
to those who might approve your car or house loan. This
is true. In fact, we stated clearly in our package that
Innovis doesn't sell to car loan companies or mortgage lenders
or even potential employers. Instead, it sells to creditors
who compile mailing lists for things like charge cards.
The experts we spoke with said that bad credit information
on Innovis can prevent you from getting favorable credit
offers and inaccurate information can always hamper your
credit. Again, this point was clearly made in our piece.
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GTN:
The interview with an apparent car buyer, which
began the story, clearly implies that Innovis
could prevent someone from getting an auto loan.
Other versions started with the phrase, “your
credit can make or break you.” As Mr. Shoer
acknowledges, the harm the public might suffer
if Innovis was in fact inaccurately reporting
people’s credit information would be to
receive fewer mass mailings of credit card offers
-- what many consider junk mail. It is misleading
to construct a story around a false premise and
then add a disclaimer at the end that Innovis
says its reports don’t have the effect portrayed. |
4. You state that Innovis has received fewer
complaints than other credit agencies. As you stated, this
information came directly from our sources. Those same sources
told us that it is tough to tell how many mistakes are made
at Innovis because people don't even know about the agency
and don't know to check the information for accuracy.
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GTN:
By stating that Innovis’ information is
“not always accurate,” as the NBC
11 piece did, NewsProNet raised the question of
inaccuracy. Further, by urging viewers to contact
Innovis to check their credit reports, NewsProNet
gave the impression that the company had a real
problem with accuracy that could harm consumers.
But Mr. Shoer concedes that “it is tough
to tell how many mistakes are made at Innovis.”
When news organizations cannot tell whether a
company is inaccurate, they should not claim that
it is. |
5. You state that our source from the Better
Business Bureau, Ms Deana Wade, says her comment was taken
out of context. I would say that the way you presented her
comment in your article was out of context. When we used
Ms. Wade's sound bite about how mistakes usually involved
the type of information generally on people's credit reports,
we led into that bite stating that, "like with all
credit bureaus, mistakes can happen." We did NOT single
out Innovis as making more mistakes than any other credit
bureau. As stated above, it's tough to know how many mistakes
are actually made at Innovis since no one knows to even
check the company's reports, but we have no reason to believe
Innovis makes more mistakes than any other credit bureau,
and we did not state that.
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GTN:
Reporting as NBC 11 did that “Some people
have complained to the Better Business Bureau
about mistakes on their Innovis report,”
after having mentioned the other three credit
bureaus in a positive light, gives the impression
that Innovis stands alone. Why warn viewers to
check their credit with Innovis, and not the others,
if reporters “have no reason to believe
Innovis makes more mistakes than any other credit
bureau”? |
| And again, all of
the information mentioned above can be quickly
and easily verified by any of our client stations,
since we provide them with the direct contacts
for all the experts who are interviewed or contributed
to the stories we produce.
Thank you for the opportunity
to reply.
Michael Shoer
President & CEO
NewsProNet
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