The Nation | Blog | The Daily Outrage | Ari Berman

Amazingly, the Governator is taking PR cues from George W. Bush.

Last week the California Governor’s office admitted to sending at least five fake news segments hyping Arnold’s policies to local TV stations under the guise of real news. The mock news spots–sent out to stations in December–promote an end to mandatory lunch breaks for workers, cuts in the number of nurses at hospitals, a revised pay scheme for teachers and stricter tenure track for professors.

Here’s the Los Angeles Times’ description of the segments: “A written introduction offers suggested opening lines to be read by television news anchors. A state employee, who previously worked as a reporter for a Sacramento television station, is the narrator. Each video includes interviews with advocates for the proposals. The tapes do not acknowledge dissenting views or offer balance as required in news accounts.”