Tribune FIRES Amstrong Williams

[Bluebear]

Armstrong Williams Column Axed by TMS

NEW YORK Tribune Media Services (TMS) today terminated its contract with columnist Armstrong Williams, effective immediately. But Williams told E&P tonight that he plans to continue his feature via self-syndication.

TMS' action came after USA Today reported this morning that Williams had accepted $240,000 from the Bush administration to promote the No Child Left Behind education-reform law on his TV and radio shows. E&P subsequently reported that Williams had also written about NCLB in his newspaper column at least four times last year.

In a statement, TMS said: "ccepting compensation in any form from an entity that serves as a subject of his weekly newspaper columns creates, at the very least, the appearance of a conflict of interest. Under these circumstances, readers may well ask themselves if the views expressed in his columns are his own, or whether they have been purchased by a third party." (Full text of the statement is available at the end of this story.)

John Twohey, vice president of editorial and operations at TMS, told E&P tonight that terminating the contract "wasn't a close call" after he and four other senior TMS executives discussed the matter.

"I understand the decision," Williams said when reached by E&P. He also said he would not be returning the $240,000.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000749251

[Nite Owl]

1. That was pretty fast

Good for them.

[Bluebear]

3. Absolutely.

Hope it's one of many AND that our leadership pushes the WH on this. It doesn't sound legal to spend our dime for this crap, like felony misuse of public funds.

[Chipper Chat]

5. Now he's free to become Kenneth Blackwell's

campaign manager!

[nostamj]

2. a tiny ray of light

amstrong williams is GONE.

[Fiona]

4. good

it was an exceptionally stupid thing to do. There should be repercussions.

[goclark]

8. Tip of the iceberg

He is pretty bold to not want to give the money back.

Seems like he is eager to go out on his own or he'll get even more under the table from Bushcrooks for taking the heat.

[hatrack]

20. He did nothing wrong - but he'll stop doing it immediately (WTF?!?)

I just LOVE it when people act like that. :evilgrin:

[rumpel]

6. An enlightened moment for Tribune.

[pinto]

7. good move, Tribune Media Services. Ethics & honesty count....n/t

[chartresbleu]

9. armstrong, kenneth, meet lynndie

when are african-american and aisian-american conservatives going to figure out they are just being used and discarded by the corporate press and republican machine? if say, george will was found to have gotten a qarter of a million dollar tip under the table, i doubt he would be dropped by his paper, and you can bet the white house would start a nice little whisper campaign to prop him up and get him safely though this. kenneth blackwell also better watch out, because if any of the ohio election fraud sticks to him and is found to be criminal, rove et. al. will dissapear into the cracks and he will be standing there alone like lynndie england. for proximty to money and/or power these folks are willing to do the dirty work for this administration, but they better be ready to take the heat, because to bush and co. they are merely tools. why are some people so willing to work against their own best interests when the ones they are helping are in it purely for themselves?

[newyawker99]

11. Hi chartresbleu!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[cmd]

13. Welcome to DU!

I don't think we will be able to take down Blackwell that way, but I do think he is a dead duck here in Ohio. The right wing vultures hover over the wounded around here.

[AP]

10. He was cutting into their advertising revenue. If someone is going to pay

for print in the Tribune, the checks better get written to the Tribune and not to Armstrong Williams!

I'm sure Fox and CNN will continue to give him a platform. And there are so many more who are getting paid to say shit they wouldn't say otherwise. Firing him from the Tribune won't stop the train of lies.

[gollygee]

12. My prediction

He will lose all his ties with mainstream media, but he'll make a ton of money as a right-wing self-syndicated columnist.

[BiggJawn]

14. He'll do the G-man/Rush/Tony Brown thing.

Westwood One or Clear Channel will pick him up.

[Dees]

15. Just another rich Repug sucking at the teat of government.

You see, government is to subsidize the rich and neglect the poor and deserving. What's new about this little story. Not much. Repugs have been helping themselves for years while all the time moaning about handouts to the poor.

[thinkingwoman]

16. why does Armstrong think

HE gets to decide if he returns the money.

Those were taxpayer dollars. They should be returned. A judge should demand it.

As a taxpayer...I want my money back. Right now.

[NNN0LHI]

17. He thinks all that lying he did for Bush is worth something n/t

[UTUSN]

18. Well, AlRIGHTy, Then!!!!

[Plaid Adder]

19. Purchased by a THIRD party...

...because as we all know, Tribune Media SErvices expects to be the only party allowed to purchase the views of their columnists.

Well, I'm glad he got fired. It's a sign that the apocalypse is not yet in progress, though it continues to tremble on the threshold.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder