ETHICS -- THUMBS UP TO PROPAGANDA

www.progressreport.org

3/15/2005

ETHICS -- THUMBS UP TO PROPAGANDA: On Feb. 17, the nonpartisan
Government Accountability Office (GAO) sent an opinion to the administration
advising it that it was illegal to produce videos "designed to resemble
independently reported broadcast news stories so that TV stations can
run them without editing." Last week the Justice Department sent another
memo, telling the administration to ignore the GAO
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35010-2005Mar14.html?nav=rss_politics)
. Essentially, the Justice Department argued that the administration
can produce "covert propaganda" as long as the propaganda is true. David
M. Walker, comptroller general of the GAO, said the administration's
approach was "both contrary to appropriations law and unethical."