... the federal agencies have to do it on their own. We all remember Armstrong Williams and Maggie Gallagher.

Now there's Dave Smith, doing public relations disguised as journalism for the Agriculture Department.

Is this really propaganda? Judge for yourself. The situation is different from either of the other two cases. The key facts, as reported by the WP:

"From NRCS's standpoint, it all reflected . . . very positively on the agency and what they were doing," Smith said. "It was just another method of getting their success stories out in the mass media."

Smith said he told magazine editors of his government contract, and he received no fee from the publications. One of the Outdoor Oklahoma articles was accompanied by a note identifying Smith as a freelance writer who works as a biologist for the agency. None of the articles appear to disclose his federal contract.

Gagner said the agency's intention was not to hide its role. And while the agency would consider such an arrangement again, "we would make sure there was somewhere in the article that says . . . that that writing was done by, for" the agency, he said.