Say no to payola!

1.13.04

FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein has urged his employer to investigate the
Department of Education’s payoff of conservative commentator Armstrong Williams.
Williams recently admitted to accepting $240,000 in exchange for promoting that good ol’ neocon
favorite, the No Child Left Behind Act.

The federal “anti-payola” law prohibits broadcasters, producers, or suppliers of content
from accepting money for airing material—unless they make it clear that they were paid to shill.

Here's what you can do:Send a letter to the FCC asking them to do their part to keep the
Bush administration from buying journalists.

Speak up!

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Speak to the FCC (feel free to customize):
From: Your name Address Phone number To: Chairman Powell and Commissioners Abernathy, Adelstein, Copps, and Martin: The admission by Armstrong Williams that he secretly accepted money from the Department of Education to promote a government initiative is a blatant violation of the anti-payola laws detailed in the Federal Communication Act. The FCC itself has defined payola as “the unreported payment to, or acceptance by, employees of broadcast stations, program producers, and program suppliers of any money, services, or valuable consideration to achieve airplay for any programming.” Armstrong Williams clearly violated that law by not informing his viewers that he had been paid to promote President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act. The arrangement brokered between the Department of Education, Armstrong Williams, and anyone else who might have received a similar deal, is a form of propaganda that Americans will not tolerate. Please use your enforcement of the payola laws to help ensure that this does not happen again.

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