National Media, Inc.

National Media, Inc. says that it is "the leading issue-advocacy, public affairs advertising agency in America. ... Unlike commercial advertising agencies, [it specializes] in the image-building and legislative or regulatory issues of the public arena, essential to private sector success." 

Under the heading "Getting It Done", National Media says that it "helps companies, associations, and industries redefine themselves."

Bush campaign work
National Media partners include Robin Roberts, "the media buyer for Bush's 2000 campaign, and Alex Castellanos, who is well-known for creating sharp attack ads including the Republican Party commercial about Democrat Al Gore in 2000 that subtly flashed the word RATS across the screen." 

Other campaign work
According to the Center for Public Integrity, National Media, Inc. received $8,298,237 from the Citizens for Better Medicare Action Fund, as well as $88,287 from the Republican Majority Issues Committee, and $11,430 from the Republican Main Street Partnership. Confirm here.

U.S. Government PR contracts
According to the U.S. House Committee on Government Reform Minority Office, National Media received the following amounts per year, for federal PR contracts:
 * $30,000 in 2003

Medicare on drugs
The Center for American Progress reported on February 5, 2004, "Just one day after the controversial taxpayer-funded political ads touting the President's Medicare bill hit the airwaves, AP reports that the White House gave the $9 million ad contract to National Media, Inc., the Bush-Cheney campaign's media firm. And if that is not shocking enough, the same company that is doing government-funded ads for HHS is also the primary media firm for the drug industry. Specifically, National Media has done the ads for the drug industry front group 'Citizens for Better Medicare' - an organization that has spent tens of millions of dollars on ads attacking lawmakers who have fought to lower prescription drug prices.

"Last year alone, National Media, Inc. raked in more than $8 million from the drug industry to produce ads eviscerating those who had the courage to fight for lower drug prices. The President and his allies in Congress have raked in more than $25 million directly from drug companies and have appointed drug industry lobbyists/executives to key government offices which make health care policy (Eli Lilly's Mitch Daniels was Budget Director, drug industry-attorney Daniel Troy is chief counsel at FDA, and PhRMA VP Ann-Marie Lynch is now a top HHS official). And the new revelations that the White House is siphoning Medicare funds into a media firm directly connected to both the drug industry and the President's personal re-election race is sure to intensify those questions." 

The article continues, "The White House's selection of National Media, Inc. was no coincidence: it is well-connected to the drug industry, as well as the Enron/Wal-Mart funded political action committee of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. But its experience with 'Citizens for Better Medicare' is where it got the experience in health care advertising the White House was looking for. 'Citizens for Better Medicare' is considered the most powerful drug front group in the country. The group 'acknowledges that it gets most of its funds from drug manufacturers,' and its executive director Tim Ryan was the former marketing director of the drug industry's lobbying arm, PhRMA (for more on CBM's connections, see Public Citizen's report). And the ads the group has run through the President's personal ad firm are widely considered some of the most vicious in politics. In the late 1990s, the group spent millions on ads depicting a senior citizen named 'Flo' who preyed on seniors' fears that Congress was going to pass a Medicare prescription drug plan that would put 'big government in seniors' medicine cabinet'. They aired ads attacking Members of Congress by name for supporting a stronger Medicare prescription drug benefit. They also slandered doctors and pharmacists, saying they wanted to form 'greedy' OPEC-style 'cartels' to negotiate lower HMO costs and drug prices."

Staff
According to NM's website, the following are members of the staff:


 * Robin D. Roberts, President and CEO
 * Alex Castellanos, Partner
 * Dan Bailes
 * Karen Brandt
 * John Brockmeyer
 * Patrick Caulfield
 * Jon Ferrell
 * Steve Gaddy
 * Terry Halle
 * Bruce Haynes
 * Kathleen Jones
 * Zibby Logie
 * Kristy Moran
 * Michael O'Donnell
 * Pete O'Donnell
 * Janice Packet
 * Peter Pessel
 * John Stewart
 * Brad Todd
 * Jayne Townsend
 * Carol Wingfield

Contact information
815 Slaters Lane Alexandria, VA 22314 703 683-4877 Web site www.natmedia.com is "currently being revised." 3/16/04

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Bush administration leaks
 * Bush administration propaganda and disinformation
 * Bush administration scandals
 * Bush administration smear campaigns
 * propaganda
 * U.S. presidential election, 2004: Campaign Ads
 * U.S. presidential election, 2004: Democrat Campaign Ads
 * U.S. presidential election, 2004: Republican Campaign Ads

External articles
[http://www.the-hamster.com/mtype/archives/000290.html "Government Media Contract to Bush/Cheney Media Team", The Hamster, February 4, 2004. Information from Atrios Blogspot and OpenSecrets.org.