Ethics breach wrong (Ventura County Star)

[struggle4progress]

<snip> The government is actually barred from domestic propaganda, but the Williams case was not the first such incident.

Congressional watchdogs at the Government Accountability Office have twice said within the past year that the Department of Health and Human Services and the White House Office of Drug Policy probably violated federal law by issuing video press releases in the guise of news reports. To their discredit, many TV stations presented the administration propaganda as actual news. Other federal agencies have reportedly issued similar faux news videos touting their programs.

Thursday, Sens. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the chairman and ranking member of the panel that oversees education spending, requested three years of Education Department records of public relations contracts, reminding Education Secretary Rod Paige that federal law prohibits using public money on propaganda. To his credit, Mr. Paige has instituted an internal review.

Also Thursday, a Federal Communications Commission member, noting the agency has received a dozen complaints concerning the Education Department's arrangement with Mr. Williams, requested an investigation. Friday, the FCC announced that it would conduct an investigation. <snip>

http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/opinion/article/0,1375,VCS_125_3475094,00.html

[shraby]

1. Bout time, too.

They can investigate a whole bunch more if they really wanted to find some sh*t.