For several weeks in July (2002) WZZM 13 has been running promotional stories/pieces of their Food For Families (FFF) campaign. This is a campaign designed to get viewers to donate non-perishable food that will be sent to local food banks. In one sense we salute an effort that might mean people don't go hungry, but there are more serious issues at stake here.
First, WZZM 13 is a news station. Their primary function is to inform viewers about issues and events. In this case, their primary responsibility is too help viewers understand why people are living in poverty and need food assistance. Very little reporting on why people are living in poverty or need food assistance has been done. What has been reported on is other charitable efforts or projects that teach people how to stretch their dollar.
Secondly, the stories/promotional pieces act as commercials for both WZZM 13 and Spartan Stores, which is the major business partner in the FFF campaign. The Spartan CEO has been interviewed, a Spartan truck is often the backdrop of these stories and Spartan products are featured in the stories. If this isn't product placement, we don't know what is.
Lastly, these stories run on all of their newscasts, which means a great deal of time is being devoted to their charity campaign. These stories are running in the midst of a primary election period. If election stories ran as often as FFF stories, there might actually be a significantly informed voting population.
Contact:
News Director Cheryl Grant at (616) 785-1313, news@wzzm13.com or
WZZM 13 Box Z, Grand Rapids, MI 49501.
