Government Sponsored News in the Spotlight

On 9/30, the GAO ruled that the Department
of Education illegally used taxpayer dollars to fund
a covert propaganda campaign aimed at boosting
the image of the President's education agenda.

On October 6, 2005 four United States Senators
urged Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to launch a
criminal investigation into whether the Department of
Education (DoE) paid columnist Armstrong Williams
for services he never performed.

Documents relating to the GAO ruling and the
continuing story may be found on the BeSpacific
blog:

GAO Determines Bush Administration Violated Propaganda Policy
Opposition to Government Sponsored News Continues

In a related story, CNN News recently aired a segment
about the Pentagon Channel (a satellite news program aimed
at the armed forces), which some claim violates U.S.
propoganda policy. A transcript of the CNN piece
may be found on Westlaw at: 2005 WLNR 16483883