Waxman Concerned About $50 Stories

Here's the bottom line on the big LATimes story about paid media placements by the US military in Iraqi newspapers: One. The newspapers were given about $50 to run stories favorable of the war effort. Two. The campaign was initiated to counter biased news fed to the papers by al Zarqawi and his ilk.

California looney Henry Waxman, senior Dem on the House Government Reform Committee, is the first to call for (drum roll please) an investigation! on the matter.

Why? Because the stories were false? No. No one's suggesting that. Because the stories weren't a good idea? No. Obviously, the media is a battlefield during a war. Because we're going to corrupt the mighty free press of Iraq?

That's what they're saying, but it's bogus.

If we were paying to get untrue stories placed, that would be an issue, but again, no one's saying that's the case.

The big unanswered question is, how were the stories run? If they were run as opinion pieces, no one can criticize that they were one-sided. And if they ran with American bylines, it's doubtful that they ran as anything but opinion pieces.

It would have been better if they'd run without payment, but given the choice between letting al Zarqawi dominate the media or greasing a palm, I'd grease the palm. They can nuance their free press later.