State Dept using "virtual censorship" to silence foreign-speakers criticism of Bush Adminstration

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 11/01/2006 | State Dept vetted speakers for criticism of Bush Adminstration:

"An internal State Department review has found that U.S. officials screened the public statements and writings of private citizens for criticism of the Bush administration before deciding whether to send them on foreign speaking assignments.

The screenings amounted to 'virtual censorship' in the State Department's selection of speakers, said a report by the department's Inspector General's Office. McClatchy Newspapers obtained a copy of the 22-page report, which was completed in September.

The vetting practice appears to have been part of the Bush administration's efforts to control information, muffle dissenting views and promote positive assessments of its policies to foreign audiences."