Government propaganda machine growing

But Pacific University political science professor Jim Moore says it’s legitimate to ask whether spending so much on PR is justified when some governments are slashing services and laying off workers.

“It becomes an issue for the electorate,” Moore says.

This month, New York-based journalism nonprofit ProPublica published a report noting that the ranks of public-relations reps have surged by more than 30 percent in private PR agencies—while American newsrooms shrank by about 27 percent in recent years. Many former reporters have moved into PR, including former WW managing news editor Hank Stern, who in April took an $80,000 gig at Multnomah County.

As newspapers shrink, government plays a bigger role informing the public. Jim Middaugh, who makes $132,300 as head spokesman for Metro, hired part-time reporter Nick Christensen at $40,560 a year to publish stories about Metro on the agency’s website.

http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-17536-giving_us_flack.html