NBC News Chief Steve Capus Calls Out Political Campaigns For Using Journalists In Ads (VIDEO)

NBC News chief Steve Capus took a moment during an acceptance speech on Monday to address the use of journalists in political campaign commercials.

Capus was at the Edward R. Murrow Awards accepting the award for overall excellence on NBC News' behalf. During his remarks, Capus encouraged his colleagues in the business to join him in discouraging political campaigns from using journalists and clips from news stories in advertisements.

Earlier this week, NBC News' Andrea Mitchell told viewers that the Obama campaign did not have her permission to use her likeness in its political ad.

"You should know that NBC News has not granted either campaign permission to use our news material, and immediately requested that the campaign refrain from using NBC News material in this and future advertisements," she said.

Capus called the practice lazy, and said it was unfair to both the journalists and producers.

"While we’re hard at work telling the story of the election, I’d like to take a minute — and I think you’ll enjoy this part — to urge the candidates and campaigns to do a better job of telling their own story," he said.

"I know that campaigns want to be associated with Tom Brokaw and Andrea Mitchell and Brian Williams in their commercials. But let’s be honest. That’s good company, but those folks are journalists and they do not endorse this message," he said.

Click over to Poynter to read more about Capus' remarks and the use of journalists in political campaign ads.

Watch Capus' remarks roughly four minutes into the video above.

(h/t Poynter)