Oregon sought propaganda campaign to publicly demean nonprofit health care provider

Oregon sought propaganda campaign to publicly demean nonprofit health care provider

Oregon’s Oregon Health Authority put together a taxpayer funded “communications plan” (a.ka. propaganda program) to publicly demean and malign a non-profit health care provider because the OHA did not want the state legislature to pass laws supported by the non-profit health care provider.
OHA was responsible for Oregon’s failed Cover Oregon, a health exchange that never enrolled anyone before being shut down after wasting nearly 1/2 billion taxpayer dollars and disrupting the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens.
OHA claims the plan was never implemented. However,

“The Portland Business Journal, Willamette Week, Portland Tribune, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Oregonian and The Lund Report have all received targeted press releases aimed at bolstering the state’s case, as well as personalized emails to journalists and other outreach.”

This is a classic example of how “public relations” is a polite way of saying propaganda. This case illustrates the danger of government turning its propaganda apparatus loose on the public – this is a soft form of totalitarianism.
Portland Tribune: State sought to plant negative stories about nonprofit, 
The non-profit health care provider is now exploring its legal options against the state.

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