Syndicate Drops Commentator Over Payments

[Thurston Howell IV]

CHICAGO - A conservative columnist has been dropped by a major syndication service because he accepted a payment from the Bush administration to promote the No Child Left Behind law to fellow blacks and to give the education secretary media time.

Armstrong Williams, one of the nation's leading black conservative voices, has acknowledged that a company he runs was paid $240,000 by the Education Department, and he called criticism of his relationship with the department "legitimate."

Tribune Media Services said it told Williams on Friday that it was halting distribution of his weekly newspaper column.


"Nevertheless, accepting compensation in any form from an entity that serves as a subject of his weekly newspaper columns creates, at the very least, the appearance of a conflict of interest. Under these circumstances, readers may well ask themselves if the views expressed in his columns are his own, or whether they have been purchased by a third party," a statement said.


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=6&u=/ap/20050108/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_commentator

[renaissanceguy]

1. Well, duh,

with all this negative publicity, they'd be stupid NOT to drop him.

http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.14741193
http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues/466053

[Moderator]

2. DUplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1131779