GAO agrees to investigate White House contracts with media

RAW STORY

Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Rules, told RAW STORY Tuesday morning that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has agreed to investigate possible contracts between various media and public relations entities and seven White House cabinet level departments.

"I am pleased to see the GAO has decided to move forward with my request for an investigation," Slaughter said in a release. "We deserve to know if the White House and its cabinet level departments have engaged in this outrageous abuse and manipulation of the free press."

The release, advanced to RAW STORY, follows, as does correspondence from the General Accountability Office.

###

We will issue a written product at the conclusion of our work. We will obtain agency comments on a written draft of this product prior to issuance.

Product Delivery Date(s)

The report will be issued by October 17, 2005.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Nonpartisan_government_watchdog_to_investigate_White_House_contracts_0621.html

Lets see how this develops...

I hope the GAO finds important information and gets that news out to everyone.

But I'm not too confident...and feeling this way pisses me off.

Like the CIA's Inspector's General report on 9/11 that was ready for release in July of 2004, the GOA report will be ordered withheld by the WH until after the next election cycle.

Look for it in late November or December of 2006--most likely during a period when the broadcast/cable "news" is dominated 24/7 by some crime involving an accused celebrity perpatrator or a cute, white, blond cheerleader-type victim.

It will likely be followed by a lightly reported housecleaning of the GOA of "subversive, anti-Bush" elements.

Same old song...same old dance....

since many people still get their news from the corporate media.

Just over a year late, but better late than never, perhaps. Just seems odd that the pandering of the press is to the least intelligent of the voting public! It is soooooo unreal that anyone should suddenly have to have all the information about one person who has been in a coma for years and check it out daily for weeks! During this same time, the president is changing the structure of the nation and hundreds of people, US military and civilians, are being "murdered" in the false name of war!
We need more ways to get the general public to THINK and not just listen, read, and believe. Perhaps something like "Never what you read or hear and less than 1/2 what you see!"

media!

And this is yet another reason why we must all support Raw Story any way we can:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1868197

and we need Raw Story now more than ever!

but I really can't stand going to sites that have a thousand windows full of coporate crap being shoved in my face, no matter how good the stories are, or where they came from..

You really should seek donations - we have one pop-under at our site and we explicitly demand from the companies that it's a product that has some value to progressives..

Takebackthemedia can't "sell out" to corporations or we lose all our integrity..

I'm also a musician and I'd never sign a clear channel contract no matter how much they paid me, but that's just me..

Sorry to sound too rough, but I'm sick to death of monkeys that want to get punched, cell phone scams, etc - I think the use of them only cheapens the web altogether..

Anyway you can offer a PREMUIM service where I won't get hammered if I want to read one of your stories? Look at Buzzflash, they sell Premiums which include Progressive books, movies, etc..

Just some friendly advice..

VERY interesting... will stay tuned for the October report before making any predictions.

they never released their findings
as a matter of fact I can`t find a single word about any elections on their site

Thats *`s way of sweeping things under the rug.

Throw a commission of hacks at it and let it disappear

I have a feeling tha the GAO is going to be very busy.