The Armstrong Williams situation was a dark day in journalism because it added the specter of paid advertising masquerading as journalism to the news business. Today, Michigan News notes a similar charge that has been raised:

Accuracy in Media (AIM) charged today that the United Nations has been paying journalists to promote its message in the U.S. and abroad, and that billionaires George Soros and Ted Turner have been paying for journalism prizes to make pro-U.N. reporters look good. AIM editor Cliff Kincaid urged the U.N. and any journalists on its payroll to completely come clean by disclosing how much money has changed hands.

In a special report posted on the AIM website (www.aim.org), Kincaid cited direct evidence of U.N. money going to a past president of the U.N. Correspondents Association (UNCA). He said that a key U.N. official has admitted paying other journalists but that she refuses to name names or amounts. Kincaid also cited financial contributions to UNCA from organizations associated with billionaires George Soros and Ted Turner. The money underwrites the awarding of journalism prizes to those covering the U.N.

The AIM article is available here. Keep in mind that both Michigan News and AIM are conservative organizations. This does not automatically disqualify the story, but it does mean that additional investigation from an unbiased third party would help confirm it.

If these charges are true, it is another blight on the reputation of an industry already reeling from the Armstrong, Rather and Jordan scandals. A majority of Americans already felt the media was biased (either to the right or left, depending on one's position on the political spectrum). These new revelations may cause public opinion of the media to move from "biased" to "bought".

The best solution is to eliminate the flow of money from outside influences to journalists and news organizations. As long as news is a capital venture and salaries within the industry remain modest, there is little chance of that ever happening. The alternative is the current system: accept the cash and then disclose the affiliation. This is not working either.

What is a better solution to this issue? I don't know, but what I do know is that the MSM has to find a way to rehabilitate their integrity - or at least the public's perception of it. Maybe the solution is to be extraordinarily honest about their sources of revenue…

Now stay tuned for CBS News, broadcasting from Coca-Cola Studios…