The New York Times Sunday announced a new age of “fake news” under President Bush. Here’s how fake news works: the government pays for fawning coverage of itself. And television stations pass it off as their own unbiased reporting. The government’s investigative arm, the GAO, says the administration is propagating “illegal propaganda.” The Justice Department told Federal Agencies in a March 11 memo to ignore the finding. It’s a hard slap in the face for the GAO. Especially with President Bush rushing to the Justice Department’s side, saying he will follow the DOJ’s lead. Government-paid propaganda and the media that passes it off as news.

Guests:

Eric Boehlert, senior writer for Salon.com

Loren Ghiglione, Dean of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He is former president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

John Stauber, founder and executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy, a public relations watchdog group

Scott Libin, he is a faculty member at the Poynter Institute, a school for journalists, where he holds seminars on ethical decision making. He has spent 20 years in television. He was news director at KSTP-TV, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis, Saint Paul and vice president of news at WGHP-TV, in North Carolina.

Stanley Zeitlin, President of West Glen Communications, a producer-distributor of video news releases. The firm has 35 employees and $8 million in revenue. Its clients include the government, corporations and not-for-profits.