The FCC and Armstrong Williams' Continuing Legacy

THE FCC AND ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS' CONTINUING LEGACY
[SOURCE: PR Watch, AUTHOR: Diane Farsetta]
[Commentary] On March 14, House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell asked FCC Chairman Kevin Martin about the status of the agency's ongoing Armstrong Williams investigation. Williams is a conservative commentator who was retained by the U.S. Education Department, as a subcontractor of the public relations firm Ketchum, to promote the No Child Left Behind Act. Williams' $240,000 government contract and his failure to disclose it, first reported on by USA Today's Greg Toppo in January 2005, spurred public outrage and calls for accountability. To date, two government reports on Williams have been released -- both late on a Friday, presumably to limit media coverage of them. In May 2005, the Education Department's Office of Inspector General stated that it had "found no evidence of any ethical violations," though it admitted there were "poor management decisions," and "poor judgment and oversight." In September 2005, the Government Accountability Office issued a harsher assessment, finding that aspects of the Education Department's contract with Ketchum violated federal law. "The Department violated the publicity or propaganda prohibition when it issued task orders to Ketchum directing it to arrange for Mr. Williams to regularly comment on the NCLB Act without requiring Ketchum to ensure that Mr. Williams disclosed to his audiences his relationship with the Department," concluded the GAO. Meanwhile, the FCC's investigation into the Williams affair remains open. However, Rep. Dingell's recent questioning of FCC Chair Martin did reveal new information, as well as establish a mandate for yet another report, on the status of the agency's ongoing investigation.
http://www.prwatch.org/node/5902