It's okay, she's on the payroll

We'll know soon enough, but Drudge reports the Washington Post runs tomorrow with a story that Armstrong Williams wasn't the only journalist on the White House payroll.

*UPDATE* From the Post, "Columnist Backing Bush Plan had Federal Contract."

In 2002, syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher repeatedly defended President Bush's push for a $300 million initiative encouraging marriage as a way of strengthening families.

"The Bush marriage initiative would emphasize the importance of marriage to poor couples" and "educate teens on the value of delaying childbearing until marriage," she wrote in National Review Online, for example, adding that this could "carry big payoffs down the road for taxpayers and children."

But Gallagher failed to mention that she had a $21,500 contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to help promote the president's proposal. Her work under the contract, which ran from January through October 2002, included drafting a magazine article for the HHS official overseeing the initiative, writing brochures for the program and conducting a briefing for department officials.

So it seems she got paid to do some contract work to support the President's position, but any articles she wrote were an added bonus. You could make an argument that the White House wanted to traffic on her good name, I guess.

*UPDATE, TOO* Pandagon has more, suggesting that folks like me let Maggie off a little easy. I think it's a shame that the White House does not think it's legislation has merits on it's own, and their constant need for approval in the media is a scary addiction. Maggie also should have clearly disclosed her relation in any articles on the subject with a quick, "Now I'm a paid consultant for the administration on this issue," which would have gone far to exonerate her from charges of graft.

Should Maggie have done what she did without letting people know? No, I don't think so. Is it as bad as Armstrong Williams? Again, no. If I were a National Review reader, I'd be very upset I'd been suckered in by her, too. Disappointed, but unsurprised.

*UPDATE, THREE* Just want to point out that I changed the name of the post now that the report is confirmed (from "Believe Drudge or don't"). It seemed more fitting.