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A History of Propaganda:
Prepackaged News by the Bush Administration

May 19, 2004	GAO rules that HHS’s Medicare prepackaged news stories are illegal covert propaganda because they do not identify HHS as the source. GAO also calls on HHS to seek recovery of taxpayer funds spent on the prepackaged news stories. HHS refuses to seek recovery of the funds.
February 17, 2005	The head of the GAO sends a memo to all Federal agencies telling them to identify themselves in all prepackaged news stories.
March 11, 2005	OMB and the DOJ send memos to all Federal agencies telling them to ignore the GAO memo. The OMB and DOJ memos say that agencies do not need to identify the government as the source of prepackaged news stories.
September 30, 2005	GAO rules that the Department of Education’s prepackaged news stories promoting the Administration’s “No Child Left Behind” program are illegal covert propaganda. GAO also calls on the Department to seek recovery of taxpayer funds spent on the prepackaged news stories. Thus far, the Department has failed to seek recovery of the funds.
Today	Senate Commerce Committee reports out legislation reversing the Administration position, requiring Federal agencies to identify the U.S. Government as the source of prepackaged news stories.