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GAO Determines Bush Administration Violated Propaganda Policy

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Follow-up to my previous posting, Controversy Surrounds Government Sponsored News, new developments and related links:

  • press release: GAO Blasts Illegal Propaganda Campaign at the U.S. Department of Education: “Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) ruled that the Bush Department of Education illegally used taxpayer dollars to fund a covert propaganda campaign, aimed at boosting the image of the President’s education agenda…The GAO found that the Education Department violated the “publicity and propaganda” law by making payments to the journalist Armstrong Williams and by paying a public relations firm to produce fake television news stories promoting the President’s education programs. For both violations, the GAO directed the Department of Education to invoke the Federal Anti-Deficiency Act to begin the process of recovering the misspent taxpayer dollars.”

    • GAO Rulings on Propaganda, Released on September 30, 2005 (all documents in PDF)

  • Letter from GAO to Department of Education
  • GAO AG’s decision that the Dept. of Education violated the publicity or propaganda prohibition for 2004 re: Contract to Obtain Services of Armstrong Williams: “we find that the Department contracted for Armstrong Williams to comment regularly on the No Child Left Behind Act without assuring that the Department’s role was disclosed to the targeted audiences. This violated the publicity or propaganda prohibition for fiscal year 2004 because it amounted to covert propaganda. As a result of this violation, the Department also violated the Antideficiency Act, 31 U.S.C. sect. 1341.”
  • GAO AG’s decision on Dept. of Education, No Child Left Behind Act and Video News Release and Media Analysis: “The Department’s use of appropriated funds to produce a prepackaged news story regarding Supplemental Educational Services that failed to inform the viewing audience of the government source violates the publicity or propaganda prohibition.”
  • and from the New York Times, October 1, 2005: Buying of News by Bush’s Aides Is Ruled Illegal

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