Armstrong Williams not the only one on take

[Moses]

MR. RUSSERT:  Let me turn back home.  This was a jolting issue in USA Today newspaper on Friday, that, "Seeking to build support among black families for its education reform law, the Bush administration paid a prominent black pundit $240,000 to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show and to urge other black journalists to do the same.  The campaign...required commentator Armstrong Williams `to regularly comment on NCLB [No Child Left Behind] during the course of his broadcasts,' and to interview Education Secretary Rod Paige for TV and radio spots that aired during the show in 2004."

Senators led by Democratic leader Harry Reid have written the president, Albert Hunt, to say that Mr. Williams should give the money back, that this was a violation against the law of blatant government propaganda.

MR. HUNT:  Well, I don't know what the law is.  It strikes me that it's not a very good use of taxpayers' money.  It's certainly as egregious a journalist violation as one could engage in.  Mr. Williams' column was yanked, as it should be.  I will say this.  Armstrong did deliver his promise, because I occasionally worked out at a gym and Armstrong's there, and he told me several times, you know, "Why don't you write about No Child Left Behind."  I don't know if I'm going to be on one of those government expense accounts or not but...

MR. RUSSERT:  How many columns did you do?

MR. HUNT:  I didn't do any.  So I let him down.  I'm sorry, Armstrong. Listen, I'll tell you this.  I'll bet that there will be a great market for FOIR, Freedom of Information Requests, in the next couple weeks because I suspect Armstrong Williams is not alone.  There have been other people who've been doing this.

Transcript for Jan 9: msnbc.msn.com/id/6805000/

[Moses]

www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-williams8jan08,1,603991.story

Case Shines Harsh Light on 'Pundit Industry'[/size]
By James Rainey
Times Staff Writer

January 8, 2005
If the public was not already doubtful about the independence of the pundits who jam 24-hour news stations, it may become so following the revelation that a popular conservative commentator was paid $240,000 to promote President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act.
Several media analysts said the disclosure Friday that Armstrong Williams had a contract to promote the education law should cause reexaminations on several fronts: government in its use of tax money to promote political causes, news outlets in screening opinion makers for bias, and news consumers in scrutinizing information thrown their way.
"There is a declining public trust in the media as a system, and I think this is a really troublesome ethical issue," said Nancy Snow, a professor of communications at Cal State Fullerton. "It could become a larger issue if the public across the board says that all these media celebrities need to be more forthcoming about what they are getting paid to say."
Marty Kaplan, associate dean of USC's Annenberg School for Communication, said such problems had been spawned, in particular, by the desire of 24-hour television news programs to fill their broadcasts with experts and commentators.
"The pundit industry has exploded with people setting themselves up as authorities and cloaking themselves in the values of journalism, where in fact all they are doing is promoting a brand, which is themselves," Kaplan said.
In response to news about the payment, Williams lost his contract with Tribune Media Services, the syndicate that carried his weekly column to several dozen newspapers. The executive who manages the syndicate for Tribune Co., the parent company of the Los Angeles Times, said Williams failed to disclose that he was being paid by the Department of Education.
Among the papers that received Williams' columns through the syndicate were the Washington Times, the Detroit Free Press and the Seattle Times, according to his website.
A spokeswoman for CNN, which frequently uses Williams as a conservative voice on its news programs, said the cable network should have been notified about Williams' relationship with the Bush administration.
"We will seriously consider this before booking him again," said spokeswoman Edie Emery.
NBC spokeswoman Allison Gollust said that if the network's programs used Williams again, they would first identify his relationship with the Department of Education "as in the case of any of our interviewees on something they are being paid to promote."
Williams spent a long day and night Friday apologizing for what he admitted was an ethical lapse.
The 45-year-old son of South Carolina tobacco farmers wears multiple professional hats — radio and television talking head, newspaper columnist, public relations executive, book author and television producer.
"I am a pure entrepreneur, and I made a business decision," Williams said of the $240,000 contract. "I didn't think about the dual role of media pundit and entrepreneur. And if I had to do it again I would do it differently, because it is much more important to me — my reputation with my peers and with the public."
Williams said it was only after being interviewed by journalists Friday that he realized many major news outlets had disclosure requirements to ensure that their employees avoided such conflicts of interest.
He said he had "no doubt" that other commentators had similar ethical dilemmas that simply hadn't been publicized.

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