GAO Denounces Gov't "Covert Propaganda"

Matt Welch | January 7, 2005

Stories in The Washington Post and GovExec.com. This marks the second time that the Government Accountability Office has chided the Administration for producing fake news tapes that were subsequently broadcast in the guise of independent journalism.

What's neat about this one is that the "news story" in question, which was planted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, was about "plans for a new White House ad campaign on the dangers of drug abuse." In other words, your tax dollars were spent by anti-drug government P.R. types to make fake journalism about how your tax dollars are being spent by anti-drug government P.R. types ... and then your tax dollars were spent once more to reveal that, indeed, your tax dollars are being misspent.