Johnson
03-15-2004, 09:48 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/15/politics/15VIDE.html&OQ=hp
"The Bush administration paid people to pose as journalists praising the benefits of the new Medicare law... The materials were produced by the Department of Health and Human Services, which called them video news releases, but the source is not identified. Two videos end with the voice of a woman who says, 'In Washington, I'm Karen Ryan reporting.' But the production company, Home Front Communications, said it had hired her to read a script prepared by the government... The government also prepared scripts that can be used by news anchors introducing what the administration describes as a made-for-television 'story package.' In one script, the administration suggests that anchors use this language: 'In December, President Bush signed into law the first-ever prescription drug benefit for people with Medicare. Since then, there have been a lot of questions about how the law will help older Americans and people with disabilities. Reporter Karen Ryan helps sort through the details.' ... Federal law prohibits the use of federal money for 'publicity or propaganda purposes' not authorized by Congress."
"The Bush administration paid people to pose as journalists praising the benefits of the new Medicare law... The materials were produced by the Department of Health and Human Services, which called them video news releases, but the source is not identified. Two videos end with the voice of a woman who says, 'In Washington, I'm Karen Ryan reporting.' But the production company, Home Front Communications, said it had hired her to read a script prepared by the government... The government also prepared scripts that can be used by news anchors introducing what the administration describes as a made-for-television 'story package.' In one script, the administration suggests that anchors use this language: 'In December, President Bush signed into law the first-ever prescription drug benefit for people with Medicare. Since then, there have been a lot of questions about how the law will help older Americans and people with disabilities. Reporter Karen Ryan helps sort through the details.' ... Federal law prohibits the use of federal money for 'publicity or propaganda purposes' not authorized by Congress."