U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Ak) Holds Hearing On Government Produced News Stories

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U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Ak) Holds Hearing On Government Produced News Stories

U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION HOLDS A HEARING ON GOVERNMENT PRODUCED NEWS STORIES

MAY 12, 2005

SPEAKERS: U.S. SENATOR TED STEVENS (R-AK) CHAIRMAN U.S. SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ) U.S. SENATOR CONRAD BURNS (R-MT) U.S. SENATOR TRENT LOTT (R-MS) U.S. SENATOR KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON (R-TX) U.S. SENATOR OLYMPIA J. SNOWE (R-ME) U.S. SENATOR GORDON SMITH (R-OR) U.S. SENATOR JOHN ENSIGN (R-NV) U.S. SENATOR GEORGE ALLEN (R-VA) U.S. SENATOR JOHN E. SUNUNU (R-NH) U.S. SENATOR JIM DEMINT (R-SC) U.S. SENATOR DAVID VITTER (R-LA)

U.S. SENATOR DANIEL K. INOUYE (D-HI) CO-CHAIRMAN U.S. SENATOR JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV (D-WV) U.S. SENATOR JOHN F. KERRY (D-MA) U.S. SENATOR BYRON L. DORGAN (D-ND) U.S. SENATOR BARBARA BOXER (D-CA) U.S. SENATOR BILL NELSON (D-FL) U.S. SENATOR MARIA CANTWELL (D-WA) U.S. SENATOR FRANK R. LAUTENBERG (D-NJ) U.S. SENATOR BEN NELSON (D-NE) U.S. SENATOR MARK PRYOR (D-AR)

WITNESSES: JONATHAN ADELSTEIN, COMMISSIONER, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

AUSTIN SCHLICK, ACTING GENERAL COUNSEL, FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

SUSAN POLING, MANAGING ASSOCIATE GENERAL COUNSEL, GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE

BARBARA COCHRAN, PRESIDENT, RADIO-TELEVISION NEWS DIRECTORS ASSN.

DOUGLAS SIMON, PRESIDENT/CEO, D S SIMON PRODUCTIONS INC.

JUDITH TURNER PHAIR, PRESIDENT/CEO, PUBLIC RELATIONS SOCIETY OF AMERICA

[*] STEVENS: This is a hearing that I said we would hold on a bill sponsored by Senator Lautenberg to create a new section in the Communications Act of 1934 to require broadcasters, cable and satellite providers and other persons to ensure that the origin of prepackaged news stories produced by our government is disclosed to the public.

The bill would cover prepackaged news stories intended to be aired within the United States. It would make it illegal for any person to remove the federal agency disclosure required by a provision in the defense supplemental bill that passed the Senate earlier this week. That was the Byrd amendment that was adopted on the supplemental. This hearing will focus on the need to amend the Communications Act -- authorize the Federal Communication Commission to regulate the news industry's handling of what we now know as VNRs.

And the first panel this morning is the Honorable Jonathan Adelstein, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, and Mr. Austin Schlick, the acting general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission.

Senator Inouye, do you have an opening statement?

INOUYE: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I do have any opening statement. And I thank you for calling today's hearing.

May I have my full statement made part of the record?

STEVENS: Without objection.

Senator Lautenberg, do you have an opening statement?

LAUTENBERG: I do.

First, I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing, I know that it was taken off a busy agenda, but you did make a promise, and those who know you know that you always keep the promise. And we have to be able to trust one another to get things done here and, as we see in these days, it's not always easy.

Well, I'm hopeful that soon after this hearing, we can move ahead on a markup for this legislation so we can move it to the full Senate.

The purpose of the bill that I've introduced with Senator Kerry -- it's simple and straightforward. It would stop government from producing covert propaganda.

And by the way, I want to say that this is, to my knowledge, not the first time that it's been done, so this is not simply a finger pointing at the present administration.

Over the past year, the American people have learned of numerous incidents in which the administration produced fake news stories that concealed the government's role. And we've also learned of journalists who were paid off to write favorable articles about administration's policies.

The best known example of journalism-for-hire was the columnist and radio commentator, Armstrong Williams, who was paid to write and say favorable things...

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