Media Firm Does Ads for Bush AND Medicare [View All]

[jburton]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=544&e=10&u=/ap/medicare_ad

Media Firm Does Ads for Bush AND Medicare

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A media firm working for President Bush (news - web sites)'s re-election campaign has a share of the administration's publicly funded $12.6 million advertising effort touting the new Medicare law.

National Media Inc. of Alexandria, Va., is purchasing $9.5 million worth of television advertising for a 30-second commercial that the administration intends to educate older Americans about changes in Medicare such as the new prescription drug benefit, executives involved in the advertising campaign said Wednesday.

Critics of the new law contended the firm's involvement is evidence that the administration is mounting a political rather than educational campaign for the new law.

"There are hundreds of media buyers out there and they get the contract," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill.