Amstrong Williams was paid for 2004, election year promotion.

[Eric J in MN]

There is an FCC (Federal Commmunications Commission) investigation of Armstrong Williams, but there should also be an FEC (Federal Elections Commission) investigation.

==================================

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-01-06-williams-whitehouse_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA

The campaign, part of an effort to promote No Child Left Behind (NCLB), required commentator Armstrong Williams "to regularly comment on NCLB during the course of his broadcasts," and to interview Education Secretary Rod Paige for TV and radio spots that aired during the show in 2004.



http://mediamatters.org/items/200501120001

Armrstrong Williams accepted "money to promote the law in December 2003" (phrase written by Media Matters for America) and went from criticizing to promoting NCLB.


(Updated after looking into my own question about timing.)

[itzamirakul]

1. Yes...that is the problem...

He was paid to propagandize a government program/issue during an election year. Of course the Corrupt Corporate Media (CCM)is ignoring THAT little fact. They always manage to cover a story without ever hitting on the points that are questionable or vital.

[stray cat]

2. He was paid to swing the electorate toward Bush.

No Child left behind was just the excuse to tell how wonderful the Bush administration had been.

[grasswire]

3. is he giving it back?

I haven't heard any news of him returning the money.

[readmylips]

4. Have they returned Ken Lay's million $ contributions?

actually, the funds belonging to working American citizens.

[Eric J in MN]

5. No, Armstrong Williams specifically said he WON'T return OUR money (nt)

nt

[KharmaTrain]

6. Media Wants This Story To Go Away and FAST!!!

Notice how CNNservative spent an hour with Whorie Kurtz dancing all over CBS's "troubles" (of course Whorie will never mention that the questions Rather asked were never answered), and didn't spend a minute on Armstrong.

In radio, when someone pays for someone to play their song and doesn't disclose this to the audience, it's called payola. It is one of the few broadcast regulations remaining that can cause a station to lose a license...it's that serious. But not when it comes to Whorie Kurtz or any of the other compromised media talking heads.

The dirty deal is Armstrong is being put out to pasture (he served his purpose to this regime and is now being thrown out) before he sticks his foot in his mouth again and blows the cover on how many "journalists" or "columnists" or "commentators" are on this regime's payroll.

I'm certain Whorie Kurtz got his full Rove payment today.

[Eric J in MN]

7. Can Ted Turner and liberal billionaires who like him get together

to buy back CNN from Time Warner?

[KharmaTrain]

8. Why Would He?

Ted's crusin'...he's 70 or thereabouts and pretty much had the network taken away from him in his ill-fated marriage with Gerald Levin & Time-Warner. Why would he want to buy back an operation that is in shambles. Even Captain Courageous knows when to hold 'em and fold 'em.

Next, why would Time-Warner want to sell? They have a nice cable empire from HBO to CNNservative to Cartoon Network along with their publishing and media empire...CNNservative sells these products and gives Time-Warner a big leg-up with Deregulation and media issues in this regime through playing lapdog and donor to the GOOP.

There's a culture inside the beltway of compromised "journalists" and "commentators" that are a major problem...the Armstrong fiasco is just the tip of the iceburg. These are vain-glorious people who place their own careers and access ahead of the truth. They'll sell out if it ensures they get that big interview or byline. They live and die by being on the "A list" of the Beltway drinkiie-drinkie parties and being the "player". Right now these thin-skinned are being bought and sold by the Heritage Institute and other GOOP shelter organizations and through them the misinformation gets fed, spread and "verified".

The Right Wing has been disciplined with media...coordinating their efforts while there's none on the left. The Soros group doesn't play nice with the MoveOn people who don't like the DLC types who aren't too crazy with Air American and the Drobnys and so on and so on. Until the egos get set aside and serious networking happens, all the money, talent and hard work goes to waste.

At least Cheap Channel appears to see profits in "Progressive Talk", but I suspect it's a matter of time until they dump AAR and form their own "alternative" network.