ANTI-DRUG PAYOLA

Rampant drug abuse by our youth is serious enough to give some slack even
to misguided efforts to control the problem. But instead of attacking the
media for hypocritically cooperating with government-funded messages, as
Charles Krauthammer does ["A Network Sellout," op-ed, Jan. 21], the target
of criticism should be the surreptitious payment of funds by the federal
government to television stations.

Federal law has long established that whenever a radio or television
station receives payment for the inclusion of program material in its
broadcast (including entertainment, political programs and opinion pieces)
the fact of such payment and the identity of the sponsor shall be announced
on the air. Violation of the law by those paying or being paid is
punishable by a fine of $10,000 or a year in prison. The public has the
right to expect disclosure of the fact that money has been paid to
broadcast government propaganda.

Joel H. Levy, Washington