The Post must hate being scooped in their own backyard, but DCist has to give credit where it’s due. The New York Times scored big this Sunday with an expose on the Bush administration’s public relations tactics. It seems that paying journalists to toe the president’s line on policy issues wasn’t enough, as the administration has taken to writing, producing and disseminating its own news stories.

The NYT reported that government agencies across the board have been using tax dollars to produce 90-second “video news releases,”(see picture at right) designed to look like news reports trumpeting the positive accomplishments of the administration. The NYT goes on to say that over the past four years, hundreds of these pre-packaged Bush infomercials have been aired during local news broadcasts without disclosing the government’s involvement. This morning, the Post finally stepped in to report that Bush administration basically doesn’t give a damn: