If you're a foreign government with an image problem in Washington, turns out you can hire a lobbyist to help clean up that image. And many have done just that. In the latest edition of Harper's Magazine, their Washington Editor Ken Silverstein went "under cover" to see how far these companies would go. Claiming to represent the government of Turkmenistan, and happening to be in the market for a little good PR, Ken approached several Washington lobbying firms. What he learned raises all sorts of questions about the foreign lobby in the U.S., and about how far a journalist should go to get the story. Where do you draw the line on both?
Blog of the Nation
What about "The Israel Lobby?"
I suppose some would think that it is more unethical for a journalist to deceive a PR firm than a PR firm to deceive the American public. After all, what is wrong with lying and supporting repressive regimes? It is done all the time. But lets be sure to get all Moral and Rightous when someone lies to expose them. All lies are equal, right?
I'm afraid I just don't see the issue here in regards to journalistic integrity. Perhaps my morals are twisted, but representing yourself as part of a group that needs a particular service and then testing the response seems to be par for the course in evaluating anything from customer service to business ethics. Exactly what did Silverstein do wrong?
I am not sure that this was fair. Perhaps I have been duped by the innocent sounds of the powerful professonal, but I found Ken Silverstein shrill and I not sure I understood the point. I already know that these guys would would represent evil incarnate. It is what they do.
Bravo the Harpers JOURNALIST!!
REPLACE Conan he is political milk toast. He consistently steers discussion away form anything controversial. With a little homework he could have asked questions that would have shed light on the topic.
I don't see anything immoral or unethical here. Civil rights attorneys do this; when they want to see if someone is discriminating in housing for example. They send people of different races to apply for an apartment with the same credentials to see if they are treated differently. Police do this, they send decoys out to pretend to be prostitutes, or johns, or minors who want to buy alcohol, etc.
Lobbying firms should be illegal. I hope that this report leads to having a much brighter light shine on that filthy industry.
poverty is the lack of imagination. making bad things look good is old. there is no imagination here just deception. weapons are made to kill humans and bad politics to use them. WOW! how about making good things work! this is the lobby i want to hear about. as i sail of into another beautiful sun set remeber, the bad children are the lost and the good children are hungry for a better future.
Ken Silverstein, Washington editor of Harper's Magazine, managed to come off as sleazier than a Washington lobbyist. I was simply appalled by his self-righteous smugness in his quest to make news rather than report news. The tactics Silverstein used were questionable ethically and journalistically. While this is probably a story that needs to be reported, it should have been done by a journalist with integrity rather than a sanctimonious opportunist. Silverstein was an embarrassment to journalists.
Silverstein landed the upper right cut. Proving as a professional, his impact capabilities vying in leadership; how else would he have managed to bring us the sweet talker?
Even criminals are granted representation for their day in court, and multi-nationals like Halliburton and Exxon-Mobil feed us a steady stream of their propaganda. For Apco and Cassidy to hold one single info-gathering session with any potential client is no sin in my book.
The U.S. should have more journalists like Ken Silverstein. We might not be in a constitutional crisis today, if more journalists had done the great and brave job Ken has done. Thankyou PBR, and Bill Moyers for being part of the land of the brave.
I have listened to this program segment twice. I was struck by the thought that in this day and age when our country is combatting terrorism ... when terrorists strike in the U.S., Britain and elsewhere ... there are private firms here in Washington that accept big fees to promote terrorist regimes. That's what bothers me the most.
K.Silverstein turned over a rock & exposed the rot underneath.This is bigger than just lobbyists the rot infects our entire government & too many of our industrial/ military businesses! Our Democracy is dying !!
Are you kidding? Lobbyists are money mongers and paid liars. How can the people let this happen?
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