CREW Demands GAO Investigation of Government Propaganda

CREW Demands GAO Investigation of Government Propaganda

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Earlier today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) requested a General Accounting Office (GAO) investigation into the legality of broadcasts aired by taxpayer- funded TV and Radio Marti over the airwaves of commercial broadcasters to southern Florida audiences.

CREW asked GAO to look into whether these TV and Radio Marti broadcasts violate federal provisions that prohibit inadvertent domestic broadcasting of TV Marti programming; prohibit domestic dissemination of Radio Marti broadcasts; and allow use of an alternative AM frequency for Radio Marti broadcasts. The Broadcasting Board of Governors approved the programming, allegedly after consulting with some members of Congress. According to a December 19, 2006 report in The Miami Herald, "the White House pushed to have the Martis broadcast using local stations in Miami."

In December 2006, several news outlets reported that TV and Radio Marti, U.S. stations that air propaganda against ailing Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, had struck six-month deals with two South Florida commercial Spanish-language TV and radio stations to broadcast their programming to audiences with large Cuban-American populations.

"Given the apparent illegality of the broadcasts under the contracts, it looks as though the White House has decided to ignore the law," Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW said today. "These broadcasts are clearly aimed at Cuban-Americans in Florida, not Cubans themselves."

Sloan continued, "Taxpayers should not be paying for the illegal transmission of government propaganda within U.S. borders. We hope that the GAO immediately investigates and forces an end to these illegal broadcasts."

The request for investigation and supporting documents are available at CREW's website.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non- profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions.

For more information, please visit http://www.citizensforethics.org/ or contact Naomi Seligman Steiner at 202-408-5565/press@citizensforethics.org.

Source: Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

CONTACT: Naomi Seligman Steiner of the Citizens for Responsibility and
Ethics in Washington, +1-202-408-5565

Web site: http://www.citizensforethics.org/

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