USA Today: Education Dept. paid commentator to promote law. Seeking to build support among black families for its education reform law, the Bush administration paid a prominent black pundit $240,000 to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show and to urge other black journalists to do the same.
t: Drug Control Office Faulted For Issuing Fake News Tapes. Shortly before last year’s Super Bowl, local news stations across the country aired a story by Mike Morris describing plans for a new White House ad campaign on the dangers of drug abuse. What viewers did not know was that Morris is not a journalist and his “report” was produced by the government, actions that constituted illegal “covert propaganda,” according to an investigation by the Government Accountability Office.
Given this administration’s fondness for fiscal recklessness, war-inducing lies, torture, attacks on civil-liberties and other misdeeds, these seem like minor matters. But the Bush White House’s contempt for honest journalism is really something to behold. Worse, it’s clear that the adminstration honchos believe the public doesn’t care — and that officials consider professional journalists to be utterly helpless in making anyone care.
…excerpt from: dangillmor.typepad.com…