The GAO is investigating the Bush administrations “video news releases” that have actors portraying government officials and Washington reporters hyping the Bush Medicare bill. The GAO is trying to determine if they are “illegal covert propaganda.”
VNRs are common PR tools that package info. into a TV news-style story. Local stations often rely on these VNRs for content. The VNRs have apparently aired 53 times on 40 stations in 33 media markets.
You’ll remember earlier this week it was reported that the top Medicare actuary claimed he was threatened with dismissal if he revealed the true cost of the Medicare bill before the vote.
The New York Times editorializes:
The plan is being sold to the public through propagandistic ads disguised as TV news reports, and it turns out the government’s top Medicare actuary was muzzled by superiors during the debate about the program’s price tag….
This sleight of hand only deepens doubts about White House credibility on a complex issue. The public deserves straightforward information about the changes in Medicare, and federal agencies should not be engaging in political spin. This is no way to run a democracy nourished by information and taxpayers’ money.
So does the San Francisco Chronicle:
After first covering up and then misrepresenting the facts about the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, the Bush administration is now shamelessly working to further mislead the public by staging phony “news reports” about how well the law will work.
….
The idea is to make propaganda appear to be unbiased news during prime-time viewing.It’s a covert effort to exploit both the press and public. Coupled with the misinformation about the bill, it paints an alarming picture of a White House unconstrained about using deceit.
Repeatedly manipulating data to stifle honest debate, stirs up disquieting recollections of another White House, disgraced by lies and dirty tricks.