"Michael McKelvy" wrote in message
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"Trevor Wilson" wrote in message
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"Michael McKelvy" wrote in message
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"Trevor Wilson" wrote in message
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Date: January 30 2005
By Suzanne Goldenberg
Washington


The Bush Administration has been confronted with fresh evidence of a
far-reaching clandestine campaign to influence public opinion after a
third
conservative commentator admitted receiving payments for championing
its
policies.

Michael McManus, a newspaper columnist, was paid up to $10,000 to
praise the
administration's marriage initiative, which diverts funds from welfare
to
marital counselling, the Los Angeles Times reported.

His fees were approved by a branch of the Department of Health and
Human
Services, and were funnelled through the Lewin Group, a consultancy
firm.
The commentator's right-wing Marriage Savers Foundation received an
additional $49,000 in government grants. McManus did not disclose the
payments in his columns.

Neither did Maggie Gallagher, another conservative columnist and an
even
more prominent supporter of the marriage plan.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that Gallagher received
$21,500
from the Department of Health and Human Services, and $20,000 from the
Justice Department for championing the initiative in her syndicated
newspaper columns.

President George Bush tried earlier this week to distance the
Administration
from such payment practices, and an official from the Health Department
said
the payments would cease.

But a report issued on Thursday by Democratic members of the House of
Representatives suggested the Bush Administration may rely far more
heavily
on pay-per-view columnists than had been previously thought.

The Administration spent more than $US88 million ($A113 million) on
public
relations contracts last year - more than double the $37 million it
spent
during Mr Bush's first year in office. That brought the
Administration's
first-term spending on public relations to $250 million ($A323
million).

The first sign of a political payola scandal emerged this month when
USA
Today reported that Armstrong Williams, a conservative African American
columnist, had been paid $240,000 by the Education Department to
champion
the Administration's controversial policies in his print, radio and
television outlets.

Williams was paid through Ketchum PR, the public relations firm also
involved in producing fake "news pieces" last year that touted the
Administration's prescription drug bill. Some US television stations
put the
clips straight on the air.

- Guardian




This material is subject to copyright and any unauthorised use, copying
or
mirroring is prohibited.

Why would any rational person want to use anything from a piece of crap
like the Guardian.

**Is what the Guardian printed, incorrect? Which part/s?


Assuming what they say is true, I think it's no worse than the money
paid by the Clinton Administration to TV programs for putting anti-drug
messages into various shows, instead of into actual treatment or
advertising.

**You're kidding, right? It is MUCH worse. It is corruption.


The Guardian is to journalism as The Rock is to great acting.

**That maybe the case. Can you point out the errors and direct me to the
truth?


Stop relying on news sources outside the U.S. for news about the U.S.

There are plenty of newspapers and electronic media that are left leaning
here, and if the story has any truth to it, they will happily report it.

The Guardian and the BBC are simply not to be trusted.

**I'll ask the question once mo

Can you point out the errors and direct me to the truth?


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au