http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0403150182mar15,1,2576544.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hedWASHINGTON -- Congressional investigators are scrutinizing television segments in which the Bush administration paid people to pose as journalists praising the benefits of the new Medicare law.
The videos, a hybrid of advertising and journalism, are intended for use in local television news programs. Several include images of President Bush receiving a standing ovation from a crowd cheering as he signed the Medicare drug-benefit law on Dec. 8.
The materials were produced by the Health and Human Services Department, but the source is not identified. Two videos end with the voice of a woman who says, "In Washington, I'm Karen Ryan reporting."
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Federal law prohibits the use of federal money for "publicity or propaganda purposes" not authorized by Congress.
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