{Read} {PDF EPUB} ~download Beyond Blame How We Can Succeed by Breaking the Dependency Barrier by Armstrong Williams The "talking head": with the "paid-mouthpiece" episode behind him, Armstrong Williams plans a book. That was put on hold when Williams became the focal point of a scandal in January 2005; revelations were made that he and other political commentators were paid by the Bush administration to promote the No Child Left Behind grade-school law. Williams received $240,000. "The book," said Williams in an August telephone interview, "was delayed until after the controversy, which is a good thing . I've grown exponentially. Before, I was a mouthpiece for the Republican Party. This book is more of an evolution of Armstrong Williams." Williams, 45, is a widely circulated Op-Ed columnist and Sunday TV talk show guest. He acknowledged during the storm that it was no surprise that media outlets and news consumers were distressed after learning he promoted a government policy as a paid messenger, and then opined about it without disclosing his financial interest. "I wanted to do it, that is, promote No Child Left Behind," Williams told USA Today, "because it's something I believe in." The Tribune Company canceled his Op-Ed column syndication deal last winter in response to the news. In August, the National Association of Black Journalists announced that Williams was the 2005 "Thumbs Down" award winner for dubious achievement. His book, The New Racists, is scheduled for February 2006 release by Eagle Publishing Co., an imprint of Regnery Publishing, said publicist Patricia Jackson. She said a subtitle for Williams's book was pending. However, on the Amazon.com Web site, this subtitle is listed: How Liberal Democrats Have Betrayed Minority Americans. (The retail price is $27.95 and the ISBN is 0-895-26018-2.) Jackson said the information posted on Amazon would be removed while the editing is being completed and reposted once the subtitle is confirmed. Williams said his recast manuscript, post-No Child Left Behind controversy, means, "I have taken a critical look at the Republican and Democratic parties and what we all can do to make both parties better, how we can move beyond race and how race has become an industry Democrats and Republicans benefit from." The No Child Left Behind Act became a federal law in 2002. It was billed as a way to improve failing schools and assure academic achievement for all students but has remained the subject of heated controversy over results. Williams, whose previous book was Beyond Blame: How We Can Succeed by Breaking the Dependency Barrier (Free Press, 1995), is founder and CEO of the Graham Williams Group, a Washington--based public relations company. He is also owner of The Right Side Productions, which produces and distributes his show to satellite and cable outlets. Williams, a South Carolina native, is a former aide to United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Regnery is publisher of Human Events, "the national conservative weekly," according to the motto listed online. Recent company books include The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam [and the Crusades], Flat Tax Revolution and The Myth of Hitler's Pope (www.regnery.com). Initial print runs of Regnery and Eagle books range from highs of 100,000 to lows of about 20,000, said publicist Jackson. The projected size of Williams's printing was not available. Wayne Dawkins is author of Rugged Waters: Black Journalists Swim the Mainstream (August Press, June 2003) and writes frequently about the news media. Armstrong Williams. Armstrong Williams (born February 5, 1962) is an American political commentator, entrepreneur, author, and talk show host. Williams writes a nationally syndicated conservative newspaper column, has hosted a daily radio show, and hosts a nationally syndicated television program called The Armstrong Williams Show . He is the owner of Howard Stirk Holdings, a media company affiliated with Sinclair Broadcasting that has purchased numerous television stations. Williams is a longtime associate of HUD Secretary and 2016 presidential candidate Ben Carson. Contents. Early life and career Media career Radio Television Syndicated column Howard Stirk Holdings 'No Child Left Behind' controversy Political, business, and charitable activities See also Books by Williams References Further reading External links. Early life and career. Williams served as confidential assistant to the chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas), [1] presidential appointee to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and legislative aide and advisor to U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond. [2] Williams is the cousin of South Carolina State Senator Clementa Pinckney, who was a victim of the Charleston church shooting. [3] Media career. Radio. In 1998, Williams united with The Salem Radio Network, which syndicated his national radio show to 26 of the top radio markets in the country. In 2002, he reunited with the Newark, New Jersey-based Talk America Radio Network. Williams joined the lineup at WWRL 1600 AM, New York's Urban Talk in March 2005 as co-host with Sam Greenfield on Drive Time Dialogue . [4] Williams began hosting a nightly talk show in 2008 on XM Satellite Radio Power 128 (now SiriusXM Urban View) called The Armstrong Williams Show . [5] Williams' radio program features his own opinions, values, and ideology related to political and current issues. In June 2018, it was announced that Williams was leaving radio to focus more on his television company. [1] Television. Williams was hired as a political analyst by Sinclair Broadcasting Group for its News Central program. [6] Williams hosts a syndicated television show called The Armstrong Williams Show. [7] [1] Other television shows hosted by Williams include The Right Side Forum [8] and The Right Side with Armstrong Williams. [9] [10] Syndicated column. Williams writes a syndicated column [11] that is distributed by Creators Syndicate. [1] Howard Stirk Holdings. On November 25, 2013, Williams was involved in the purchase of two television stations as part of a larger $370 million acquisition of Barrington Broadcasting by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Howard Stirk Holdings, which Williams owns, was given ownership over NBC affiliate WEYI-TV in Flint–Saginaw–Bay City, Michigan, and CW affiliate WWMB in Myrtle Beach–Florence, South Carolina. The name of the company came from both William's mother's middle name Howard, and his father's middle name, Stirk. [12] Both stations remain operated by Sinclair under a local marketing agreement, which resulted in allegations that the company was simply acting as a "sidecar" of Sinclair to skirt FCC ownership rules. Williams defended the allegations, noting that he had full control over their programming, and received the majority of their revenue. [13] On December 4, 2014, the FCC approved the transfer of station licenses for WMMP, Charleston, South Carolina, WCFT-TV, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and WJSU-TV, Anniston, Alabama, from Sinclair to Howard Stirk Holdings. Under the arrangement, HSH would operate their future acquisitions as an independent broadcaster, forgoing agreements with third-parties. [13] [14] [15] On January 28, 2015, Intermountain West Communications Company filed to sell KVMY to Howard Stirk Holdings. HSH had agreed on January 14 to purchase for $150,000 the stock of the Sinclair subsidiary that was a party to IWCC's sale of KSNV-DT and currently holds the license of KVCW; KVCW and KSNV themselves remain under Sinclair ownership. [16] The transaction was finalized on October 30. [17] Howard Stirk Holdings revealed in its January 2015 application to purchase Las Vegas station KVMY that it again planned to acquire the WLYH-TV license from Nexstar Broadcasting Group. The sale was completed on November 12, 2015. [18] These transactions made Williams the largest African-American owner of television stations in the United States at the time. [13] In 2019, Byron Allen surpassed Williams with his purchase of most of the assets of Heartland Media. [19] 1 Operated under a LMA by Sinclair Broadcast Group. 'No Child Left Behind' controversy. In January 2005, USA Today reported that documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that Williams had been paid $240,000 to promote the controversial No Child Left Behind Act. USA Today reported that Williams was hired "to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show and to urge other black journalists to do the same." [21] As part of the agreement, Williams was required "to regularly comment on NCLB during the course of his broadcasts", and to interview Education Secretary Rod Paige for TV and radio spots that aired during the show in 2004. [22] The contract with Williams was part of a $950,000 contract between the U.S. Department of Education and the public relations company Ketchum Inc. [23] After the USA Today revelations, Tribune Media Services (TMS) terminated its syndication agreement with Williams. In a statement to Editor & Publisher (E&P), TMS stated: "[A]ccepting compensation in any form from an entity that serves as a subject of his weekly newspaper columns creates, at the very least, the appearance of a conflict of interest. Under these circumstances, readers may well ask themselves if the views expressed in his columns are his own, or whether they have been purchased by a third party." [24] In response, Williams initially told E&P that he intended self-syndicate his column. [25] E&P contacted 10 newspapers listed as clients on Williams's Web site to ask if they would continue to carry the column; the majority stated that they would not. [25] Williams later told the Associated Press the following: "Even though I'm not a journalist — I'm a commentator — I feel I should be held to the media ethics standard. My judgment was not the best.