$$$ No Conservative Talk Show Left Behind $$$

Because I work at a PR agency, I was very interested to see that Ketchum, working with the Education Department, was behind a plan that paid conservative talk show host Armstrong Williams $240,000 to promote No Child Left Behind. As a PR guy, I can see that Williams was a good choice to build support among African American journalists and listeners. As a taxpayer, I'm appalled.

To put this in simple terms, taxpayer dollars were paid to a supposed "media" personality to push the administration's agenda on the air -- and to use his influence to get other black broadcasters to do the same. Because of Williams' conservative views (he's a former aide to Clarence Thomas), I don't doubt that he actually supports the program.

But as media ethics expert Bob Steele said: "I would suggest that his commitment to that belief is best exercised through his excellent professional work rather than through contractual obligations with outsiders who are, quite clearly, trying to influence content."