Re. Armstrong Williams -- how about Bill Schneider's paycheck from AEI?

[DeepModem Mom]

I've been travelling, and away from a computer for a bit, and am wondering if anyone has raised the question of CNN's "Senior Political Analyst" Bill Schneider, a fellow at the right-wing think-tank American Enterprise Institute, presumably receiving paychecks from both CNN and AEI. Is this a situation similar to Armstrong Williams's being paid to promote an agenda? Schneider's position as an AEI fellow appears in his CNN online bio, but is never revealed on air.

[ewagner]

1. Good Call!

They never disclose his AEI ties on-the-air....

I don't know if he still has a "Fellowship" or if there is any money involved in that "Fellowship".

[sandnsea]

2. Or corporate reps

I forget who it is right off, but one of the "terrorist consultants" has his own terror-oriented security product company. How can you give objective commentary when it benefits your own company to have people scared senseless? They never tell us the financial or political interests of any of the people on these shows.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. Kelly "Don't I look Cool in My Black Turtleneck?" McCann?

[sandnsea]

10. That's one

Here's another, http://www.totalsecurity.us/about.htm

Pretty sure there's a bunch more.

[gratuitous]

3. Old hat

Millions and millions of conservative dollars are spread around by the usual suspects (Scaife, et al) to make sure someone's on the mainstream media spouting their line. What makes Walletfat Williams special is that he was spouting the conservative line and getting paid with our tax dollars.

I can contribute to AEI or not, if I want to. But my tax dollars aren't supposed to be getting paid to some propaganda whore.

[Squeech]

4. Yeah, but

it doesn't matter. All these foundations and think tanks are private institutions, even though the revolving door is beginning to emit plumes of smoke.

My most cynical thought on this whole matter is that the only reason the government had to fund Williams directly is that Richard Mellon Scaife couldn't bring himself to write a check to a black man.

[DeepModem Mom]

5. Very interesting cynicism, and very possibly correct!

[K-W]

6. No, because that isnt taxpayer money.

What the government arranged with Armstrong Williams was illegal.

While the idea of buying influence is certainly the same, when the government is involved it is significantly different.

[not fooled]

7. why info from cable "news" commentators is usually worthless...

...we all know that there is massive propagandizing, by RW "think" tanks and the rest of their massive machine, that gets fed directly to RW commentators and other media apparatchiks. ANY time one of these people comments on the air, they should disclose their financial ties, contributors, etc. (any commentator of any political stripe should do this--via crawl across the bottom of the screen?)

Since this doesn't happen now, most viewers have no idea that many, many of the "objective commentators" on these shows are buttering their bread, so to speak, by spouting RW talking points. Not the same problem as using tax money but still something germane that should be disclosed.

So, I basically ignore or discount these people and what they say. Shills.

[napi21]

8. AEI isn't using taxpayer money!

That's the problem with Williams. He was being paid off with taxpayer funds. Wether someone is receiving money from more than one source is another story, and I doubt illegal, but the Gov't isn't allowed to bribe people to promote their agenda.

[sandnsea]

11. Are you sure?

Alot of nonprofits get taxpayer funding, not sure whether AEI does or not. Regardless, we ought to be told what entities reporters, pundits or guests are affiliated with. That would go a LONG way in getting some truth in reporting back. That's the point of the OP I think, not to confuse it with government propaganda which is a separate and more serious issue.