Education

Prosecuting Campus Thoughtcrimes

by Diane Farsetta — October 4, 2005 - 11:59am

"Some Republicans are pushing a measure through the House of Representatives meant to ensure that students hear 'dissenting viewpoints' in class and are protected from retaliation because of their politics or religion. Colleges say the measure isn't needed, but with Congress providing billions of dollars to higher education, they are worried," writes the Wall Street Journal.

Main Source: 
Wall Street Journal (sub. req'd.), October 4, 2005

Fake News Gets Called on the Carpet

by Diane Farsetta — October 3, 2005 - 9:24am

"The Bush administration violated the law by buying favorable news coverage of President Bush's education policies, by making payments to the conservative commentator Armstrong Williams and by hiring a public relations company to analyze media perceptions of the Republican Party," ruled the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office. The GAO report, "the first definitive ruling on the legality of the activities," found that the Department of Education contract with the Ketchum PR firm violated the ban on "covert propaganda." Objectionable activities include a video news release where PR flack Karen Ryan says the Bush tutoring program "gets an A-plus"; news monitoring to determine whether stories agree that "the Bush administration / the G.O.P. is committed to education"; and Armstrong Williams' newspaper columns and television spots praising the No Child Left Behind Act, without disclosing that he was paid by the Education Department. The GAO doesn't have enforcement powers, but reports to the White House and Congress.

Main Source: 
New York Times, October 1, 2005

The Education Department's Paid Apple Polishers

by Diane Farsetta — September 6, 2005 - 11:42am

An "angry op-ed" in the Dallas Morning News claimed the city's school system was "limiting the future and opportunities for our children" by not enacting policies mandated under the federal No Child Left Behind law more quickly.

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USA Today, September 3, 2005

Why Armstrong Williams Wants Us To Forgive and Forget

by Bob Burton — May 11, 2005 - 8:23am
  • Topics: Education, Media, Public Relations, U.S. Government

    • There's an old PR trick that if bad news can't be suppressed, its release should be stalled until late on a Friday afternoon or just before a holiday break. It's a trick that served the U.S. Department of Education well when, late on Friday April 15, it released its Office of Inspector General's damning final report into the $240,000 Armstrong Williams contract to promote the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation.

    The strategy behind the late Friday afternoon news dump is simple: most media outlets will be squeezed for space to cover a late-breaking story, looming deadlines will ensure harried journalists don't have time to get much further than the executive summary, and by the time Monday rolls around, it will be seen as stale news by editors with the attention span of a gnat.

    Reading the 20-page report, which was prompted by Greg Toppo's exposé on the Williams contract in USA Today, it's easy to see why the Education Department wanted to bury it. The report chronicles the deception, bungling and mismanagement behind the Williams contract.

    Red Flags Ignored in Williams Case

    by Diane Farsetta — April 18, 2005 - 9:39am

    The report by the Education Department's inspector general on Armstrong Williams, a pundit paid $240,000 to advertise and advocate for the No Child Left Behind Act, notes that the White House "was told about potential problems," but that did not

    Main Source: 
    Los Angeles Times, April 16, 2005

    Ketchum's Kotcher Trips Up Blaming Williams

    by Bob Burton — April 7, 2005 - 10:20pm

    A week ago Ray Kotcher, the CEO of the PR firm Ketchum, responded in writing to a series of questions from PR Week about the controversy over Armstrong Williams promoting the U.S. No Child Left Behind law.

    Main Source: 
    O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub. req'd.), April 6, 2005

    Ad Students Create Agent C for the Agency

    by Laura Miller — April 5, 2005 - 6:08pm

    Advertising students at New York University are running a marketing campaign for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.

    Main Source: 
    Washington Square News, February 15, 2005

    Where the Buffalo Shills Roam

    by Diane Farsetta — March 15, 2005 - 6:05pm

    "The University of Colorado's governing Board of Regents has retained a $350-per-hour public relations consultant," to deal "with the fallout from a football recruiting scandal and the ongoing saga surrounding controversial professor Ward Churchill." The consultant is Christopher Simpson, a former Washington Times reporter and press secretary to Senator Strom Thurmond.

    Main Source: 
    Rocky Mountain News, March 15, 2005

    No PR Firm Left Behind

    by Laura Miller — February 7, 2005 - 6:22pm

    In the continuing saga of taxpayer money used to champion Bush administration policies, the Palm Beach Post reports, "A Florida State University center has used more than a half-million in education tax dollars to put a positive spin on President Bush's key school policies, including hiring a public relations firm to teach charter schools to be more media-savvy." As part of a 5-year

    Main Source: 
    Palm Beach Post, February 2, 2005
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