Official says White House drug czar’s office reviews television scripts “to see if they’re on strategy or not” by portraying youth drug use in a negative light. If so, the networks are given credits that enable them to sell more air time to commercial advertisers rather than donating it for anti-drug and other messages. – Washington Post 01/14/00
- SOME SURPRISE (GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES): Study commissioned by the White House, to be released today, says television generally does a far better job than movies and music when it comes to responsible depictions of drug, tobacco and alcohol use. – Los Angeles Times 01/14/00
- GOVERNMENT PAYOLA? PART II: Federal law requires that anyone financially influencing or contributing to programming content be revealed at the time of broadcast. In the arrangement uncovered by Salon, the networks are earning millions in financial incentives from the government in exchange for inserting anti-drug plots in TV shows. Is the practice illegal? Perhaps. – Salon 01/14/00
- UH, UH: “NBC has never ceded creative control of any of our programs” to the drug policy office or any other department of government, said Rosalyn Weinman, the executive vice president of content policy for NBC.” Similar statements from other networks. – New York Times 01/13/00
- Networks deny the gave government officials creative control. – Variety 01/14/00
- AP report – Baltimore Sun 01/14/00
- Previously: JUST SAY “PAY ME:” Salon Magazine investigation says that the White House got anti-drug messages sewn into television shows in return for more than $25 million in the past year-and-a-half. Report says that the White House got to sign off on scripts for network shows. – Salon 01/13/00