Kennedy/Lautenberg: "Senators to Introduce Stop the Propaganda Act!"

[KoKo]

Senators to Introduce 'Stop Government Propaganda Act'
credit: Aya Kawano


By Brian Orloff

Published: January 27, 2005 12:10 PM ET
NEW YORK In response to continued revelations of government-funded "journalism" -- ranging from the purported video news releases put out by the drug czar's office and the Department of Health and Human Services to the recently uncovered payments to columnists Armstrong Williams and Maggie Gallagher,who flacked administration programs -- Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) will introduce a bill, The Stop Government Propaganda Act, in the Senate next week.

"It's just not enough to say, 'Please don't do it anymore,'" Alex Formuzis, Lautenberg's spokesman, told E&P. "Legislation sometimes is required and we believe it is in this case." The Stop Government Propaganda Act states, "Funds appropriated to an Executive branch agency may not be used for publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States unless authorized by law."

"It's time for Congress to shut down the Administration's propaganda mill," Lautenberg said in a statement. "It has no place in the United States Government." The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Jon Corzine (D-N.J.).

"We only have a few senators on the bill so far, but we hope and expect that we'll get a number of others to sign on to the legislation once we introduce it," he said. "This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is an issue about an independent press, and I think that's something that will cross party lines." The act would allow citizens to bring qui tam lawsuits on behalf of the United States government when the Department of Justice does not respond.

www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/ news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000778976

[GetTheRightVote]

1. Glad to see it happening but so much more is needed to stop Media lies

:kick:

[giant_robot]

2. I'm behind the sentiment of the bill...

but how is a new law going to stop an administration that sees itself as above the law? IMHO, we need investigations that will truly hold the administrations' feet to the fire, as opposed to past investigations carried out with the zeal of O.J.'s hunt for the "real killers".

[Liberty Belle]

4. Here's how:

Under the bill, any citizen could file a qui tam lawsuit representing the government (if the Justice Department refuses to act) in order to recover taxpayer dollars spent on propaganda.

The agency official found guilty would have to pay back several times the amount of wasted taxpayer funds, plus a fine of $5,000 to $10,000. Best of all, the citizen filing the lawsuit would get to keep about a third of that as a sort of bounty-hunters fee.

[giant_robot]

5. Cool!

Thanks for the explanation. It's kind of sad that we need such a measure, but it's a step in the right direction.

[sarcasmo]

3. Curious to see how far it gets, no Repukes will back it out of fear of 43.

[marcologico]

6. "Time for Congress to shut down the Administration's propaganda mill"?!?

Pretty strong stuff!

Can impeachment be far behind?