The federal government has spent nearly $4 billion in the last eight years to increase its roster of public relations staffers and retain the services of high-end PR firms.
Per an audit conducted by Open the Books, there are currently 3,092 PR staff in the federal government, which marks a 15 percent increase over the pre-2007 count. While some of the resulting PR may produce increased transparency in government, the watchdog organization cautioned that many agencies use this bolstered PR budget for less positive purposes.
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