Bethania Palma

An investigation reveals in detail how Tea-Party connected conservative activists used the appearance of local newspapers to promote messages paid for or supported by outside or undisclosed interests. Steve Gill, for example, is the political editor of the Tennessee Star, but he also owns a media consulting company that at least one candidate and one Political Action Committee (PAC) paid before receiving positive coverage in the Tennessee Star. Several Star writers have in the past or currently work for PACs or political campaigns that they write about, without disclosing that fact.