Valarie D'Elia



Valarie D'Elia is a travel commentator who appears on "national and local media outlets including NBC's Today Show, CNBC, Fox News and The Early Show on CBS. She is also a featured speaker at the New York Times Travel Show and makes numerous other public appearances. Every weekend, Valarie is heard fielding listeners' questions as the host of The Travel Show on the WOR Radio Network. On television, she is seen as the travel correspondent for NY1 News with her featured segments, Travel with Val."

"D'Elia spent five years covering the globe for The Travel Channel as a producer/ reporter, developing and presenting news and feature reports on hundreds of domestic and international destinations. She also was the host/producer of TWA's monthly in-flight video, Ambassador Theater ... D'Elia began her broadcast career as a radio news anchor in Miami while a junior at the University of Miami. She went on to anchor and report for several radio stations in the New York metropolitan area before earning her master's degree from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. She is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers," he biographical profile states. 

Her website lists D'Elia Travel Productions as offering services, including B-roll, commercials, marketing videos, "News inserts", "remote radio broadcasts" and video news releases. 

Fake news
D'Elia both starred in and aired on her own television show a February 2006 video news release (VNR) funded by Sandals Resorts, Viking River Cruises, and Air Tahiti Nui, and distributed by D S Simon Productions. On February 6, 2006, D'Elia aired an edited version of the VNR on her "Travel with Val" segment on New York cable channel NY1. As reported by the Center for Media and Democracy:
 * At no point during the broadcast did D'Elia or NY1 anchor Lewis Dodley reveal that the entire story was funded and furnished by the very three companies being profiled, or that D'Elia was a paid participant in the promotional materials of those same companies. One can only assume that D'Elia isn't too concerned about hiding her conflict of interest, since she offers VNR services on her own website.

In addition, an alert for a November 2003 satellite media tour lists D'Elia as the "expert" offering travel advice. 

SourceWatch resources

 * Fake news
 * Satellite media tours
 * Video news releases