The cash for comment affair was an Australian scandal that broke in 1999, concerning paid advertising in radio that is presented to the audience in such a way as to sound like editorial commentary. It is widely considered a breach of journalistic integrity. While the initial publicity had died down by the end of the year, it sparked major changes in the way the radio industry is conducted in Australia. This resulted in a second scandal in 2004, leading to the resignation of Australian Broadcasting Association head David Flint, after he had been found to have been less than impartial in his role in "cash for comment" investigations. 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... David Flint is a prominent Australian legal academic, best known for his controversial tenure as head of the Australian Broadcasting Authority and as one of Australias most prominent enthusiastic monarchists, in opposition to Australian republicanism. ...

In 1999, Media Watch revealed that 2UE talk radio hosts John Laws and Alan Jones had been paid to give favourable comment to companies including Qantas, Optus, Foxtel, Mirvac, and major Australian banks, without disclosing this arrangement to listeners. The Australian Broadcasting Authority estimated the value of these arrangements at $18 million and found Laws, Jones, and 2UE to have committed 90 breaches of the industry code and five breaches of 2UE's license conditions. Regulations were subsequently tightened to prevent such behaviour; however, the ABA has been accused of weakness and inconsistency in enforcing these regulations. 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Media Watch is an Australian television series screening on the ABC. It currently screens from 9. ... 2UE is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia. ... John Laws (born August 8, 1935) is a prominent radio presenter in Australia whose on-air charm has earned him the nickname Golden Tonsils. He has won more awards than any other radio presenter in that country. ... Alan Jones AO (b. ... For a list of Qantas destinations, click here. ... Optus is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidary of SingTel (ASX: SGT). ... Foxtel is a cable television and satellite television company in Australia, formed through a joint venture between Telstra and News Corporation. ... The Australian Broadcasting Authority (commonly called the ABA in Australia) is an agency of the Australian federal government, responsible for regulating the television, radio, and Internet industries. ...

In 2004, Laws and Jones were again accused of cash for comment in relation to deals both had made with Telstra. Laws was found to have breached the rules but Jones was cleared; the revelation of flattering letters written by ABA head David Flint to Jones, at the same time that Jones was under investigation, led to accusations of impropriety that ultimately forced Flint's resignation. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Telstra Corporation (ASX: TLS) is an Australian telecommunications company, holding a superdominant position in landline telephone services, large share of mobile phone services, domestic consumer (including dial-up access and broadband cable modem, satellite and ADSL services under the BigPond and Hypermax brands) and business data services, and cable television. ... David Flint is a prominent Australian legal academic, best known for his controversial tenure as head of the Australian Broadcasting Authority and as one of Australias most prominent enthusiastic monarchists, in opposition to Australian republicanism. ...

See also payola. Bribery is the practice of offering a professional or an authority person money or other favours in order to circumvent ethics or other rules in a variety of situations. ...