White House PR Firms Squash Stories on Small Business Contracting Scandal

[ck4829]

American Small Business League President Lloyd Chapman says he believes the Bush administration's expenditure of over $50 million a month to some of the nation's largest public relations firms is hampering his efforts to expose billions in fraud and abuse in federal small business contracting programs.

"White House PR firms have been working overtime to kill stories on Bush administration policies that have diverted over $300 billion in federal small business contracts to the top 2 percent of U.S. firms," Chapman said.

A 2006 Office of Government Accountability report found the Bush administration had spent $1.6 billion over 30 months on public relations campaigns and advertising. In some cases, journalists like Armstrong Williams were paid as much as $240,000 to promote pro-Bush administration policy and pass it off as unbiased opinion.

Chapman points to a pattern over the last few years wherein newspapers, magazines and even some of the largest television networks drop his story once Bush administration officials were notified.

http://www.sbinformer.com/news/press/070320ASBL.html

[w4rma]

1. That $50 million a month in tax dollars on propaganda should be a major scandal on it's own. (nt)

[rodeodance]

2. $$1.6 BILLION over 30 MONTHS---think what that could do for health CARE!

[rodeodance]

3. everyone should send this to YOUR congresscritters!!

[Frustratedlady]

4. I just did. I'd never heard of this situation, so I thought it best to

ask some questions. I also asked about Sibel Edmunds and why she is still gagged. Maybe it's time to flood their offices in Congress with all our concerns...squeaky wheel and all that jazz.

[indepat]

5. Gee, it's getting to the point that almost any story makes one wonder if a vast criminal conspiracy

is all this administration is.