Bush, Armstrong Williams Chilling Free Press

According to an AP story, the FCC has proposed fines for The Sinclair Broadcast Group and Sonshine Family Television, Inc., for airing programs featuring Armstrong Williams, for which Williams was paid by the Federal Government, without notifying viewers.

The Department of Education paid Williams $240,000.00 to promote the No Child Left Behind Act on his various programs. Since Williams' company is not a broadcating company, he is not subject to the fine, but even so, the total fines proposed for Sinclair and Sonshine is $76,000.00, still a tidy profit.

Now, I realize that the government violating the public trust and using propaganda against it's own people is nothing close to a stray Super Bowl nipple, but even so, the fines are kind of low. The FCC has long been criticized for seemingly strange priorities.

Leaving that aside, where are the consequences for the administration? Surely, if taking the dough is against the law, paying it is, too. You don't arrest just the hooker and let the John go, do you?

PRWatch.org also has the story of Williams shilling for Tobacco companies here.

Now, I realize that the government violating the public trust and using propaganda against it's own people is nothing close to a stray Super Bowl nipple, but even so, the fines are kind of low. The FCC has long been criticized for seemingly strange priorities.

Leaving that aside, where are the consequences for the administration? Surely, if taking the dough is against the law, paying it is, too. You don't arrest just the hooker and let the John go, do you? I'm no legal scholar, but I'm sure this type of activity runs afoul of at least the Hatch Act, if not the U.S. Constitution. Freedom of the Press doesn't just mean that the government can't restrict the press, but also that it cannot actively control the press.

In the context of all that this administration has done, it may seem that Congress has bigger fish to fry, but I'll add this to the pile, anyway, since Congress hasn't even warmed up it's kettle yet. Meanwhile, it's our foundational principles that have been gutted.