BTL:Phony Journalist Exposed in Latest Scandal Involving...

...White House Taxpayer-Funded Propaganda Machine ~ Interview with Steve Rendall, senior analyst with Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, conducted by Scott Harris <!--break--> <p>Phony Journalist Exposed in Latest Scandal Involving White House Taxpayer-Funded Propaganda Machine</p><p>Interview with Steve Rendall, senior analyst with Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, conducted by Scott Harris</p><p>Since the November presidential election, the Bush administration's strategy for handling media relations has come into focus through multiple scandals involving government payments to journalists, most notably columnist Armstrong Williams, in exchange for favorable coverage of GOP policies. Williams, a columnist and broadcast talk show host, was paid $240,000 to promote the president's &quot;No Child Left Behind Act.&quot; Two other print journalists, Maggie Gallagher and Michael McManus, were paid lesser sums to support a White House marriage initiative.</p><p>The newest set of revelations involve Jeff Gannon, also known as James Guckert, who was given credentials to attend daily White House press briefings and at least one rare presidential press conference. It turns out the Gannon, who regularly asked questions denigrating Democrats and praising Republicans, was not a journalist at all, but rather a GOP activist. Investigations into Gannon disclosed that he worked under a fake name for the fringe conservative Talon News, with direct connections to the right-wing organization GOPUSA.</p><p>After the scandal erupted, Gannon resigned from Talon News, but the controversy about the way in which the Bush administration handles its relationship with the press has only intensified. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Steve Rendall, senior analyst with the media-watch group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, who examines what some are now describing as a White House taxpayer-funded propaganda machine.</p><p>Call FAIR at (212) 633-6700 or visit their website at <a href="http://www.fair.org">www.fair.org</a></p><p>LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:</p><p><a href="http://www.btlonline.org">http://www.btlonline.org</a><br />*<br />&quot;Between The Lines&quot; is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because &quot;Between The Lines&quot; is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: <a href="http://www.btlonline.org">http://www.btlonline.org</a><br />*<br />&quot;Between the Lines,&quot; WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising  months of April and October).<br />*<br />For an email subscription of &quot;Between The Lines Weekly Summary&quot; which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to <a href="mailto:btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net">btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net</a><br />*<br />For an email subscription of &quot;Between The Lines Q&amp;A&quot; which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to <a href="mailto:btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net">btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net</a><br />*<br /><a href="mailto:betweenthelines@snet.net">betweenthelines@snet.net</a><br />*<br /><a href="http://www.squeakywheel.net/">http://www.squeakywheel.net/</a><br />*<br />Distributed by Squeaky Wheel Productions<br />©2005 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.<br /></p>

<p>...White House Taxpayer-Funded Propaganda Machine ~ Interview with Steve Rendall, senior analyst with Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, conducted by Scott Harris</p> <!--break--><p>Phony Journalist Exposed in Latest Scandal Involving White House Taxpayer-Funded Propaganda Machine</p> <p>Interview with Steve Rendall, senior analyst with Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, conducted by Scott Harris</p> <p>Since the November presidential election, the Bush administration's strategy for handling media relations has come into focus through multiple scandals involving government payments to journalists, most notably columnist Armstrong Williams, in exchange for favorable coverage of GOP policies. Williams, a columnist and broadcast talk show host, was paid $240,000 to promote the president's "No Child Left Behind Act." Two other print journalists, Maggie Gallagher and Michael McManus, were paid lesser sums to support a White House marriage initiative.</p> <p>The newest set of revelations involve Jeff Gannon, also known as James Guckert, who was given credentials to attend daily White House press briefings and at least one rare presidential press conference. It turns out the Gannon, who regularly asked questions denigrating Democrats and praising Republicans, was not a journalist at all, but rather a GOP activist. Investigations into Gannon disclosed that he worked under a fake name for the fringe conservative Talon News, with direct connections to the right-wing organization GOPUSA.</p> <p>After the scandal erupted, Gannon resigned from Talon News, but the controversy about the way in which the Bush administration handles its relationship with the press has only intensified. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Steve Rendall, senior analyst with the media-watch group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, who examines what some are now describing as a White House taxpayer-funded propaganda machine.</p> <p>Call FAIR at (212) 633-6700 or visit their website at <a href="http://www.fair.org">www.fair.org</a></p> <p>LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:</p> <p><a href="http://www.btlonline.org">http://www.btlonline.org</a><br />*<br />"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: <a href="http://www.btlonline.org">http://www.btlonline.org</a><br />*<br />"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising  months of April and October).<br />*<br />For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to <a href="mailto:btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net">btlsummary-subscribe@lists.riseup.net</a><br />*<br />For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&amp;A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to <a href="mailto:btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net">btlqa-subscribe@lists.riseup.net</a><br />*<br /><a href="mailto:betweenthelines@snet.net">betweenthelines@snet.net</a><br />*<br /><a href="http://www.squeakywheel.net/">http://www.squeakywheel.net/</a><br />*<br />Distributed by Squeaky Wheel Productions<br />©2005 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.</p>