A misleading CNN Newsource report resulted in dozens of TV stations across the country misinforming viewers about Republican efforts to kill landmark online privacy protections. CNN sent a script to local stations that highlighted a former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) head minimizing the measure’s threat to privacy without informing viewers that he works on behalf of the telecommunications industry, which would benefit from the recently signed repeal at the expense of consumers. 

As The Washington Post noted, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives last week voted to repeal “landmark online privacy protections … approved just last year that had sought to limit what companies could do with information such as customer browsing habits, app usage history, location data and Social Security numbers. The rules also had required providers to strengthen safeguards for customer data against hackers and thieves.” President Donald Trump signed the measure on April 3.

The repeal was heavily criticized by privacy rights organizations. The Electronic Frontier Foundation said the change means that “companies like Cox, Comcast, Time Warner, AT&T, and Verizon will have free rein to hijack your searches, sell your data, and hammer you with unwanted advertisements.”

Following the legislation’s passage in the House of Representatives, CNN Newsource -- which offers content such as news copy to local television stations -- produced a misleading script downplaying privacy concerns about the measure. The report cited the claims of Jon Leibowitz -- identified only as a “former FTC head” -- who said that privacy protections will still be “in place” and officials can now “implement more streamlined regulations.” Here’s the entirety of that report:

A former FTC head says the expected rollback of some internet privacy regulations is not a big deal.

Last week, lawmakers overturned FCC rules that prevent internet service providers from selling customers' personal info without consent.

But, former Federal Trade Commission chairman, Jon Leibowitz says other privacy protections are still in place. He also said that nixing the FCC rules will allow officials to implement more streamlined regulations.

However, some Democratic lawmakers disagree with that, along with privacy advocates and tech community members. President Trump is expected to sign the bill overturning the privacy rules.

That script was read in various forms across the country on over 30 stations from April 1 to April 4, according to a TVEyes.com search. Stations used on-screen graphics such as the top image (via News 12 New Jersey) and this one on WOWT, NBC’s Omaha, NE, affiliate:

But the CNN report that was echoed on local stations across the country did not mention that Leibowitz is currently working on behalf of the telecommunications industry. He heads the misleadingly named lobbying group 21st Century Privacy Coalition, which was created by broadband companies and, according to Leibowitz, is “comprised of the nation's leading communications companies.” The New York Times and Politico have both noted that the 21st Century Privacy Coalition is industry-backed and has led the campaign to change the FCC rule.

The script echoes an April 1 story posted to CNNTech which summarized an appearance by Leibowitz that day on the CNN show Smerconish. That article also did not note Leibowitz’s financial conflict of interest -- an odd exclusion since Smerconish noted in the beginning of his segment that Leibowitz has “a dog in this fight. He chairs the 21st Century Privacy Coalition, a group of broadband providers that support privacy protections for consumers and opposes the FCC rule.”

UPDATE: Following this post’s publication, CNN added text to its April 1 story noting that Leibowitz “now chairs the 21st Century Privacy Coalition, which opposes the rules. The coalition is funded by, among others, broadband providers including Verizon, Comcast and AT&T (whose planned acquisition of CNN's parent company, Time Warner, is under government review).” CNN also added a note at the bottom of the piece stating: “Correction: An earlier version of this story failed to identify Leibowitz as the chairman of the 21st Century Privacy Coalition, a group that opposes the FCC rules.” 

Numerous local news anchors read that report virtually word-for-word because of a news practice in which stations receive prepackaged news scripts and footage from syndication services. As The Washington Post noted of the practice, “Stations not only get prepackaged footage from such services, but a script that introduces the footage, as well. Stations then ‘localize’ the canned package by having one of their anchors read the one-size-fits-all copy. Viewers typically have no idea that a seemingly local story has come from a centralized source in New York, Los Angeles or, in this case, Washington.” 

Here’s a sampling of news anchors reading that CNN Newsource script on April 3 on the following stations: KOKH: (Oklahoma City, OK: FOX), KOTA (Rapid City, SD: ABC), KTWO (Casper, WY: ABC), KXXV (Waco, TX: ABC), News 12 New Jersey, WTOC (Savannah, GA: NBC).