She's not a reporter -- she just plays one on TV (*'s Medicare "news" )

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04080/288764.stm

Karen Ryan was happy to hear my voice.

"At least you called to ask if I'm a real person," she said. After a week of being called everything from an actress to a hooker, a little self-doubt was inevitable.

Karen Ryan, who was once a TV reporter, opened a public relations business in Washington. One of her specialties was the "video news release." Industry groups or government agencies with a story to tell and the money to get it told would hire her to produce one- or two-minute TV "news" reports. She would do friendly interviews, slip in a mention of a product or program, then send it off to TV stations.

She ended each report with, "In Washington, this is Karen Ryan reporting." That's how she closed a spot touting the Bush administration's new Medicare prescription package, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. But this is an election year. Someone noticed the self-promotional spot and, in no time, the General Accounting Office opened an investigation and the public howled indignantly.

<snip>

"Stations are lazy," she said. "If these things didn't work, then the companies would stop putting them out."

[whistle]

1. Hey, the repugs promoted an actor...

...to be president from 1981 to 1989 (Ronnie Ray-gun) and now the Dubya is acting as though he is a real president (court appointed rather than people elected). So why not a pretend reporter who happens to be in PR? In November, I fully expect pretend voters to be casting votes. In fact Diebold and Microsoft have probably already worked out the program simulations that will create the make-believe victory and reelection of GW. We have to support de-certification of the touch-screen voting machines.:evilgrin: