March 15, 2004
Wagging the Dog, Manipulating the Media
Leaping from my Orwellian nightmares, it seems that the Bush Administration is paying people to be 'journalists' who heap praise on the new Medicare law. As reported in the New York Times this morning, these practices are drawing the attention of Democrats, who are calling for an investigation.
One segment, sent out to news stations across the country, has a 'pharmacist' talking to a supposed 'elderly woman' about the new Medicare law. He tells her the new law "helps you better afford your medications," and she parrots back the line: "It sounds like a good idea." "A very good idea," says the 'pharmacist.'
Such 'story packages' (as the administration seems to call them--read: propaganda) are, as you can imagine, illegal. Federal law prohibits the use of federal money for "publicity and propaganda." But, as news stations are cutting investigative budgets and relying upon un-scrutinized material from the government as well as from corporations. One is left wondering if this is evidence of a 'liberal' or 'conservative' bias in the media, or simply a business model with symbols and ideas as its currency.
In a stump speech today, Presidential candidate John Kerry said, "They've hired actors to pose as journalists to sell a bad bill with your money... After already hiring actors to pose as soldiers in the president's campaign commercials you have to wonder: How many Oscar-winning performances will it take to convince America that George Bush can put America back on track?"
Posted by Palabris at March 15, 2004 02:39 PM
Conservative talk radio, especially Limbaugh and Hannity, has (at least of late) been overrun with staff members from the Kerry campaign calling in and arguing with the hosts. The thing is that they usually won't admit that they are affiliated (as though that will delegitimize them), although Hannity usually calls them on it. There are people posing as all sorts of politicos everywhere. You never know...
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