A representative from a global campaign called "Publish What You Pay" was in Louisville recently to talk about the initiative."Publish What You Pay" seeks to compel multi-national companies to disclose how much they are paying governments in Third World nations for the rights to develop resources such as oil.Valery Nodem is a native of Cameroon in west Africa. He says billions of dollars in payments are being misappropriated by corrupt government leaders instead of helping citizens."The campaign wants to make sure now that for the companies not to be taken as accomplices of this. They should disclose what they pay to the government, so now the citizens will be the one saying 'we know exactly how much was paid,' and now that's where we want the money to go," Nodem said."Publish What You Pay" is asking companies to voluntarily dislose the financial information, and is also lobbying governments to require that the data be released.Valery Nodem was in Louisville to visit the headquarters of the Presbyterian Church USA, which supports the campaign.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.