President Bush got in serious trouble last year when he unlawfully sent out pieces of government propaganda disguised as news segments to local television stations. The AP's Steve Lawrence reports that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) has mimicked the strategy to help sway the public to support his "reforms."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has acknowledged making several videos masquerading as news stories to promote its agenda, creating an uproar from Democrats and labor leaders in a controversy parallel to one ignited by the Bush administration.

When the governor produces official government propaganda and tries to fake it to look like news it's very, very corrosive to democratic values," said Barry Broad, a labor lobbyist who compared it to efforts by totalitarian regimes.

Criticism initially focused on a video promoting labor regulations altering workers' meal breaks. But the administration later said it made videos on Schwarzenegger's efforts to reshape state government, stall rules that would increase nurse staffing at hospitals and alter teacher pay and tenure requirements, said aides to Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles.

Critics said the tailored-for-TV-news videos amount to taxpayer-funded campaign propaganda.

Government needs to get out of the propaganda business. It's that plain and simple. There should be no more fake video news releases, no more Jeff Gannons, no more Armstrong Williams.