Hannush Web Blog

Not long ago, I made a comment in a post on how TV shows like “The Biggest Loser” were using product placements and subtle sales techniques during the show to sell advertisers products.

Little did I know that the reputable news magazine “60 Minutes” would end up doing the same thing.

For years, I have felt a conflict growing between real news outlets and big business.  How could NBC cover a story about General Electric objectively, when they are owned by GE?  Or CBS with Westinghouse?  Many already feel this way about NPR and the Federal Government.

On Sunday I felt “60 Minutes” crossed the line when they went to Symantec (the maker of Norton Anti-Virus) to get the lowdown on the Conficker worm that is apparently infiltrating the Internet.

To watch the show, you would have thought the world was coming to an end.  Leslie Stahl’s reporting was surely going to scare those millions of casual and not so casual computer users who jump every time they hear of a virus threat (you know the ones, they email you every false virus threat under the sun…without checking first to see if it is a hoax). As a side note: read one of my favorite Internet hoaxes for a laugh.

Leslie spent her time getting the lowdown from the tech (or sales agent) of Symantec who predictably said that people should protect their computers with Anti-Virus tools.  Imagine that…really?  Why not just blatantly show a Norton box on the screen with a toll-free number.

Today, Symantec is backing off their statement, but the sales pitch has already been made.  Like a retraction in the newspaper, most people don’t worry about the follow-up on page 6…they remember the headline on page 1.

I really don’t think that “60 Minutes” intended to make this story into a sales generator for Symantec, but it would be interesting to see how it improved the companies sales.  Sadly though, for “60 Minutes” it is a black mark on their so-called objective reporting…and just one more reason for people to perpetuate the statement that the long time network is aptly named CBS (See BS).

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