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January 10, 2005
Once the self-described defenders of absolute truth in the face of moral relativism, power-mad conservatives in the White House now believe the truth is something to be packaged and sold like reality television. In a moment befitting a third-rate dictatorship, the White House paid "journalist" Armstrong Williams $240,000 to promote the president's No Child Left Behind legislation on his syndicated program and among other African-American media personalities. The buying of journalists to spread White House propaganda is the latest episode in the conservative establishment's assault on honesty and truth.
- The White House is using taxpayer funds to push political propaganda masked as real news. The Williams contract was filtered through Ketchum, a public relations firm the Education department has paid $1 million in taxpayer money to help promote its policies. As part of a $700,000 contract uncovered by the People for the American Way in October, Ketchum helped the administration produce a "video news release geared for television stations." It also developed a ranking system for newspaper coverage of NCLB. Points were awarded for stories saying, "President Bush and the Republican Party are strong on education," while "[s]tories lost five points for negative messages, including claims that the law is not adequately funded or is too tough on states," according to AP.
- The White House pulled a similar stunt when promoting the handover of Medicare to the pharmaceutical sector. The Government Accounting Office chided the White House last year for distributing fake news segments promoting its Medicare legislation. One segment featured paid actress Karen Ryan posing as a "reporter." Another video, intended for Hispanic viewers, showed a government official being interviewed in Spanish by an actor posing as a reporter with the name "Alberto Garcia." The GAO ruled the segments "violated federal law" and were a form of "covert propaganda" because "the government was not identified as the source of the materials, broadcast by at least 40 television stations in 33 markets," according to the New York Times.
- Americans expect candor and ethical behavior from their leaders, not lies and outright manipulation. As President Bush gins up the propaganda mill to convince Americans to sell off Social Security to Wall Street investment banks, Americans should be vigilant in checking all White House claims. The administration's track record in misleading the country—WMD in Iraq, wasted budget surpluses, tax cuts for the wealthy—should be warning enough about what to expect on other major White House initiatives.
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Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund. |
