Rightwing Talk Show Host Armstrong Williams Implicated in Taxpayer-Funded Government Propaganda Campaign

Interview with Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, conducted by Scott Harris

While much of the media was focused on the CBS television network's internal investigation into its "60 Minutes" program's mishandling of a pre-election story on President Bush's National Guard service, another more disturbing scandal emerged involving right-wing commentator Armstrong Williams. Williams, who writes a column and hosts radio and TV talk shows, accepted $240,000 from the Education Department to promote the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act legislation, then pending before Congress.

As part of the Education Department's million-dollar contract with the Ketchum Public Relations firm, Williams was obligated to endorse the president's education policy and interview Secretary of Education Rod Paige on his TV show, broadcast nationally, and carried on 51 stations owned by the conservative Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Federal regulations prohibit broadcast journalists from accepting funds in exchange for promoting certain points of view without fully disclosing sponsorship information to its audience. After receiving some 18,000 letters urging the Federal Communications Commission to take action against Williams, FCC Chair Michael Powell launched an investigation into Armstrong Williams' conduct. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Josh Silver, executive director of the group Free Press, who looks at the Armstrong Williams scandal and the wider problem of media consolidation.

Contact Free Press toll free at 1-866-666-1533 or visit their website at www.freepress.net

Related links:


"Under public pressure, Powell launches investigation into 'Payola Pundit,'" www.freepress.net, Jan. 14, 2005 FAIR, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting: www.fair.org Media Channel: www.mediachannel.org

"FCC: Public Be Damned," by John Nichols and Robert McChesney, online atwww.thenation.com.

Also see the pair's new book, "Our Media, Not Theirs," published by Seven Stories Press.

Robert McChesney is also author of the book "Rich Media, Poor Democracy": at www.robertmcchesney.com

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