Administration news buying deemed illegal


Federal auditors have accused the Bush administration of illegally disseminating "covert propaganda" in the United States.


In a blistering report, the investigators from the Government Accountability Office charged the administration had bought favorable news coverage of President Bush's education policies, made payments to the conservative commentator Armstrong Williams and hired a public relations company to analyze media perceptions of the Republican Party.

The contract with Williams and the general contours of the public relations campaign had been known for months. The report provided the first definitive ruling on the legality of the activities, the New York Times said Saturday.

This has been the week for neo-cons vs. the Law, hasn’t it?

Lawyers from the accountability office, an independent nonpartisan arm of Congress, found that the administration systematically analyzed news articles to see if they carried the message, "The Bush administration/the GOP is committed to education."

The auditors declared: "We see no use for such information except for partisan political purposes."

The TIMES article has more detail; but, the site requires “registration” which can be frustrating. If you have the time, it’s here.

Thanks, Khalil.

Posted: Sat - October 1, 2005 at 04:25 PM