Guardian Utd (Thursday): Allawi ally paid reporters to turn up

[Jack Rabbit]

From the Guardian Unlimited (UK)
Dated Thursday January 13

Allawi ally paid reporters to turn up
PM admits officials handed out money at press briefings
By Rory McCarthy in Baghdad

Ayad Allawi, the Iraqi prime minister, yesterday admitted that officials from his political alliance had paid journalists for attending press conferences.
At a meeting in Baghdad on Monday hosted by a cleric who is an ally of the prime minister, several Iraqi and Arab journalists were given sealed envelopes containing $100 notes (£53) simply for turning up.

Some Iraqi journalists said other political parties were paying reporters for attending similar events and admitted taking the money. More than 100 parties are contesting the January 30 elections and many are so little known they are desperate to win publicity.

The practice recalled the methods employed by Saddam Hussein's information ministry, which would frequently reward loyal journalists, writers, poets and singers with bundles of dinars or gifts of pistols, cars and apartments.

I wonder if Armstrong Williams was there.

[Bozita]

1. Wow! ... Iraq's gonna have a democracy just like ours

Money talks and bullshit walks.

Cash and carry.

[daleo]

2. Fair and balanced.

When you pay off the media it is only fair that they give a view of the world that is heavily balanced in your favor. Right wing freedom of the press. The press is free if you own it or rent it.

[NNN0LHI]

3. Was he handing out gold plated Kalashnikov's too n/t

[nashville_brook]

4. straight from the bushitler playbook -- the only way any of them can get

any press is to pay off the writers.

which seems to me like a pretty decent story to follow, if only real journalism paid, wtf?

[WCGreen]

5. It's a hell of a lot cheaper that carting their asses around

on Air Force One......

[Bozita]

8. Reporters' employers pay for those flights at commercial rates

I'm not sure how they determine those fares. I read recently that passengers on a single commercial flight paid forty different ticket prices.

[SKKY]

6. How do you say, "Fox News, fair and balanced" in Arabic or Kurdish?

[aikido15]

7. The paid-off journalists....

...took Allawi's money and then laughed about it behind his back...it is a joke, elections..right!