Amazon writes its own TV news segments to laud coronavirus pandemic response
- Several US TV news stations recently broadcast strikingly similar reports that focused on safety measures Amazon has implemented at its warehouses
- Amazon says offering a video package and accompanying script through press release newswires is a common way for companies to distribute background footage
Several local TV news stations recently broadcast strikingly similar reports that focused on the safety measures the online retail giant has implemented at its warehouses, according to a video compiled by the Courier, part of a progressive media company with ties to groups supporting the Democratic Party.
That similarity is because the segments were based on scripts and footage provided by Amazon, journalists who received similar pitches from the company said on Twitter.
“Million of Americans staying at home are relying on Amazon,” news anchors say in one repeated refrain. Later, the anchors say, “The company is keeping its employees safe and healthy.”
Amazon, which confirmed it circulated the footage, says offering a video package and accompanying script through press release newswires is a common way for companies to distribute background footage.
The company said it was intended to fill a gap for newsrooms interested in covering the company’s response to the pandemic but unable to send their own reporters.