Scrushy, The Lewis and Lincoln Groups

“If you want to pay someone to write favorable stories and can get a paper to print them, I don't know of any law it violates.”

Alice Martin, U.S. Attorney.

Jay Reeves, “Scrushy Said to Pay for Positive Stories,” AP, 1/19/06.

The military's effort to disseminate propaganda in the Iraqi media [via the Lincoln Group] is taking place even as U.S. officials are pledging to promote democratic principles, political transparency and freedom of speech in a country emerging from decades of dictatorship and corruption.

It comes as the State Department is training Iraqi reporters in basic journalism skills and Western media ethics, including one workshop titled “The Role of Press in a Democratic Society.” Standards vary widely at Iraqi newspapers, many of which are shoestring operations.

Mark Mazzetti, Borzou Daragahi, “U.S. Military Covertly Pay to Run Stories in Iraqi Press,” Los Angeles Times, 11/30/06.