Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Democrazia in USA...

Questo e' proprio incredibile... Anche se non mi stupirei se 
il Berlusca non cogliera' l'idea.  :-/
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2652922
Bush Administration Accused of Manufacturing the News 
By Mark Sage, PA News, in New York 
The Bush Administration is being investigated for producing "ready
made" television news packages in which actors were paid to pose as
journalists, it emerged today.
 
"TV news releases" were sent to local stations to be run as part of
main news programmes.
 
But Federal investigators have launched an investigation into whether
the adverts were "propaganda", amid allegations that they were an
attempt to "manipulate the press".
 
The "news" packages praised a new law, signed by the president in
December, which the White House has said will make it easier for
elderly American's to obtain prescribed medicines.
 
In some of the features, there are pictures of Mr Bush receiving a
standing ovation from a crowd as he signed the "Medicare" law.
 
The packages were produced by the Department of Health and Human
Services, but news viewers would have no way of knowing they were
watching a Government-produced story, rather than an independent news
report.
 
They have been screened in several states, including Oklahoma and
Louisiana.
 
Two of the videos end with the voice of a woman who says: "In
Washington, I'm Karen Ryan reporting."
The production company, Home Front Communications, said "Karen Ryan"
was hired to read a script prepared by the Government.
 
Scripts were pre-written for news anchors.
 
In one script the news reader is prompted to say: "In December,
President Bush signed into law the first-ever prescription drug
benefit for people with Medicare.
 
"Since then, there have been a lot of questions about how the law will
help older Americans and people with disabilities.
 
"Reporter Karen Ryan helps sort through the details." "Karen Ryan"
then explains the benefits of the new law.
 
In another video, a pharmacist is shown speaking to an elderly
customer.
 
They agree on camera that the new law is a "good idea" after the
pharmacist explains that it "helps you better afford your
medications".
 
The made-for-TV-news packages are now being investigated by the
General Accounting Office - an arm of Congress.
 
Under law federal money cannot be used for "publicity or propaganda
purposes", unless authorised by Congress.
 
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the
use of video news releases was "common".
 
"Anyone who has questions about this practice needs to do some
research on modern public information tools," he told the New York
Times.
 
But Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg called the video packages
"disturbing".
 
"The distribution of these videos is a covert attempt to manipulate
the press," he said.
 
And Bill Kovach, chairman of the Committee of Concerned Journalists,
told the newspaper that the Government-made "news" items were "the
next thing to fraud".
 
"It's running a paid advertisement in the heart of a news program," he
said.

 se il Berlusca non cogliera' l'idea.  :-/
Se non l'avesse gia' fatto, siamo a buon punto: in effetti, gli
attori a "Forum" erano solo il punto di partenza.
Andrea
salo...@mediacomm.it