• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, October 3, 2008

TV commercial confusion, loose fact-checking, and misguided use of copyrighted material. These problems all continue on YouTube.

NBC is upset at YouTube for airing a supposedly Barack Obama-backed video called "Bad News" that uses MSNBC cable TV content, including on-air host Keith Olbermann's warning about a John McCain Presidential victory.

This kind of stuff essentially is a TV commercial on YouTube, positioned perhaps as program content. But it wouldn't even get past the NBC mailroom -- nor perhaps that of CBS, Fox, or ABC, either. TV networks are a bit better when figuring out whether commercials hedge the fine line between "misleading" and "false" statements, as well as whether there is illegal use of copyrighted material.

Networks are far from perfect -- as evidenced by those 527 group commercials that run rampant. But TV networks understand their businesses are based on the stuff between the programs. It's not so clear at YouTube, with its homemade clips, pseudo news stories, and questionable content with rules only the Internet video world can understand. On YouTube, people can contribute anything, increasing freedoms for those who have something to market.

A few angry phone calls from the parties concerned will force YouTube into pulling down misguided stuff from its site, as happened with the "Bad News" video.

Separately, another YouTube video, produced by a supposedly pro-Barack Obama children's choir group in Venice, Calif., notes that one Jeff Zucker helped produce the video -- which set off alarm bells on news Web sites, including the tabloid-y Drudge Report.

It seems Jeff Zucker, president/CEO of NBC Universal, didn't help produce the video, called "Sing for Change." It was apparently another Jeff Zucker. Weirdly, even after NBC denied its Jeff Zucker had nothing to do with it, Web sites are still reporting that the senior TV executive had his fingerprints on the project.

Thus is the state of the YouTube world -- still filled with accusations, false reports, inaccuracies, and lawsuits. The benefit here: It keeps people and corporate brand names in the headlines, as well as creating bigger wallets for time-billing entertainment lawyers.