This is disgusting.

At least three professors—from Harvard, the London School of Economics, and Rutgers—received money to travel to Libya, meet with Muammar Qaddafi, and pen op-eds touting his democratic credentials.

Who paid them?

The Monitor Group, a consulting firm that was paid $3 million by Libya to “enhance the profile of Libya and Muammar Qaddafi” in Britain and the U.S., according to Mother Jones magazine.

Here are the titles of the three op-eds, their authors, and where they appeared, based on a report in The Nation.

• “Tripoli Diarist,” by Joseph Nye, of Harvard’s Kenney School, which appeared in The New Republic in 2007. Nye said Qaddafi “was interested in discussing ‘direct democracy,’” according The Nation.

• “My Chat with the Colonel,” by Anthony Giddens, of the London School of Economics (and now a member of the House of Lords), which appeared in The Guardian in 2007. Giddens predicted Qaddafi “could become ‘the Norway of North Africa,’” The Nation wrote.

• “Gaddafi's Libya: An Ally for America?” by Benjamin Barber, of Rutgers University, which appeared in The Washington Post in 2007. Barber said that under Qaddafi’s rule, Libya “could become ‘the first Arab state to transition peacefully and without overt Western intervention to a stable, non-autocratic government,’” according to The Nation.

It’s safe to say these predictions won’t ring true—especially with reports that Qaddafi has unleashed his military on anti-government/pro-democracy protesters.

The Nation said that none of the college professors told the publications about their involvement with the Monitor Group.

A Libyan dissent group reportedly gave David Corn, the Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones, the documents that expose the op-eds.

In a 2006 letter to the Libyan government from Monitor CEO Mark Fuller, a letter that Corn published on MotherJones.com (and republished by The Nation) said:

“Libya has suffered from a deficit of positive public relations and adequate contact with a wide range of opinion-leaders and contemporary thinkers. This program aims to redress the balance in Libya’s favor.”

The Guardian reports that the Monitor Group admitted it made a “serious mistake” in working with the Libyan leader.

Ya’ think?

In blogs and opinion pieces, PR professionals and industry groups defend the reputation of the PR industry by chastising those who spam reporters, write terrible press releases, and lie to the media.

All problems that deserve a remedy—however, can we agree that as long as companies are accepting money from thugs and despots to burnish their image the PR industry’s image will suffer from it.