NEA Removes 'Health care' Link From Website amid Controversy

The Nat'l Endowment for the Arts is under fire over a conference call hosted by NEA encouraging artists to create Obama-friendly art. An NEA website link directing artists to a healthcare lobby has drawn Senate attention. That link has since vanished.

The National Endowment for the Arts has been under heavy journalistic and political fire ever since artist Patrick Courrielche, who participated in an Aug. 10 conference call between the White Office of Public Engagement, United We Serve, NEA and 75 independent artists, reported on what he saw as the recruitment of artists across the country to promote controversial Obama policies. United We Serve is a volunteer organization launched by First Lady Michelle Obama in March. Troubled by what he perceived as politicization of the arts by NEA, where Mr. Courrielche once worked in the Office of Communications, Mr. Courrielche elaborated on his concerns in an August 26 op-ed at Breitbart's Big Hollywood website, titled "The National Endowment for the Art of Persuasion?" The news coverage and political fallout from Mr. Courrielche's report has been swift. NEA Communications Director Yosi Sergant has since been reassigned, the White House held a related policy meeting with all executive branch departments, and eight Republican Senators co-signed a letter to NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman, requesting an explanation of possible violations of federal laws in the case. White House spokesman Bill Burton told Fox News White House officials will "meet with the chiefs of staff of executive branch agencies on Tuesday to discuss rules and best practices in this area." Chairman Landesman, who was recently appointed to that position by President Barack Obama, issued a statement on Sept. 22 regarding the controversy, in which he denied all charges of NEA politicization. Lynne Munson, former Deputy Director of the National Endowment for the Humanities, wrote a dissenting opinion piece shortly thereafter, challenging Chairman Landesman's denials as a "schoolboy defense." Another issue facing the NEA in that regard was a controversial 'healthcare' link from NEA's main dropdown menu directing artists to AHIRC, a healthcare lobbying group which favors the President's bill and is actively campaigning for it. Scott Johnson of the Power Line blog saw the links and reported on it. Based on Mr. Johnson's report, Big Hollywood Senior Editor John Nolte went to the NEA website and made screen captures of the links for his own report questioning the legal and ethical problems that might be involved. Earlier this morning, I checked the NEA website out of curiosity to see if the 'healthcare' link was still there and discovered that it was gone. I notified John Nolte at Big Hollywood of the development, fully expecting he already knew, as BH's coverage of the NEA story has been non-stop and now dominates the BH website. Mr. Nolte in fact did not know, nor did anyone else. NEA gave no explanation for the change on its website. Mr. Nolte just posted a new piece at Big Hollywood with updated screen captures titled 'UPDATE: NEA Scrubs 'Health Care Resource' From Website' and credited this Digital Journalist and BH contributor with the find:

"*My thanks to our own John Simpson for the tip on the NEA site change."

In April 2008, I scooped a similar 'scrubbing' from the Obama campaign website of terrorist fundraiser Hatem el-Hady, listed as a friend of now-First Lady Michelle Obama (who had to authorize that 'friend' listing personally), and reported on it here at Digital Journal.