Ketchum Shill Agrees to a Settlement

Posted by Amanda Chapel
Monday, October 23, 2006


PR Industry Sidesteps Another "Lapse in Judgement"

This just into the newsdesk...

WASHINGTON — The conservative commentator Armstrong Williams has reached a settlement with prosecutors regarding payments he received from the Department of Education.

Revelations about Williams' contract with Ketchum and the DoE, first reported by USA Today in January 2005, sparked an avalanched of criticism for the PR industry. Ketchum CEO Ray Kotcher characterized the incident a "lapse in judgment."

However, lawmakers had criticized the payments as an improper use of taxpayer dollars. Congressional auditors concluded that the Department had engaged in illegal “covert propaganda” by hiring Mr. Williams without requiring him to disclose that he had been paid.

The settlement brings to a close a yearlong investigation. Under the settlement, Mr. Williams will have to pay $34,000, the amount prosecutors determined he had been overpaid.

COMMENTARY

So what. No big deal. C'mon. It's PR.

Right?


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You forgot the rest of the quote from Kotcher: "A lapse in judgment caused by the large sum of money paid to us that made it worthwihile to chance getting away with this stunt that debases our industry and makes Ketchum look the pack of whores that we are."
#1 Brule Laker on 2006-10-25 13:22 (Reply)

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