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HuffPost: News Corp Donates $1 Million To Republican Governor's Association


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News Corp Donates $1 Million To Republican Governor's Association.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/17/news-corp-donates-1-milli_n_684462.html

Fox News and Wall Street Journal parent company News Corp donated $1 million to the Republican Governors Association in June, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported.

The media conglomerate, controlled by Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch, took advantage of the unlimited donations corporations can give to governors' associations (from Bloomberg BusinessWeek):

The Republicans' biggest corporate donor was New York-based News Corp. Teri Everett, a spokeswoman, said the company "actively supports organizations that advocate a pro-job, low tax, economic growth agenda."

News Corp. opposes proposed federal rule changes that would weaken the position of its Fox network in negotiations with cable companies. Governors may have a stake in the issue. In March, for example, New York Governor David Paterson stepped in with a call for binding arbitration in a dispute over fees between Bethpage, New York-based Cablevision Systems Corp. and Burbank, California-based Walt Disney Co.'s ABC.

News Corp made the $1 million donation on June 24, according to Politico's Ben Smith (and a filing).

As Smith points out, News Corp's highest-ranking Democratic executive, former #2 exec Peter Chernin, left the company last year. Murdoch's liaison to the Democratic party, communications executive Gary Ginsberg, also left the company last year.

"News Corporation believes in the power of free markets, and the RGA's pro-business agenda supports our priorities at this most critical time for our economy," a company spokesman told Smith.

UPDATE:

Democratic operatives have hit back with statements calling Fox News's RGA donation a final indication that their "Fair and Balanced" brand is less accurate than ever.

From Nathan Daschle, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association:

"By contributing $1 million to the Republican Governors Association, Fox has crossed a bright line. Fox can no longer pretend that it is a 'fair and balanced' news organization when Rupert Murdoch greenlights a million dollar contribution to defeat Democratic governors.

"Time and time again, Fox News has defended itself against accusations that it is nothing more than a tool of the Republican Party. We know now that the reality is so much worse: they're bankrolling the GOP. FOX's news division is ignoring the fact that its own parent company made a direct and unprecedented partisan contribution to defeat Democrats. This is hypocrisy at its worst, and is a sad day for all of us who believe that an independent and impartial media is vital to our democracy.

"Not only does this contribution severely compromise Fox's news reporting, but it even breaks Fox's own promise to its shareholders that it won't give money to benefit officeholders.

"While it might be naive to think this will ever happen, we can only hope that Fox will own up to the activities and that its stable of opinion hosts like Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly will do the right thing and call on their company to return the contribution."

From Hari Sevugan, national press secretary of the DNC:

"'Fair and balanced' has been rendered utterly meaningless. Any pretense that may have existed about the ties between Fox News and the Republican Party has been ripped violently away.

"No Republican who appears on Fox can be seen as answering to an independent press and all should appear with a disclaimer for who they truly are -- the favored candidate of the corporate-friendly network. No Fox News's political coverage can be seen as impartial and all of it should have a disclaimer for what it truly is -- partisan propaganda."

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probably cause 1 million is a miniscule kickback

you gotta wonder how much goes under the table

With the campaign limits removed, there is no longer a need for it to go under the table.

I like Tom Dobbs from "Man of the Year"; "If you're representing special interest groups, maybe we should be like NASCAR with the little patches on the back: 'Enron: We take your money and run!' "

This should go for the media too.

News Corporation believes in the power of free markets

Free markets and free press apparently cost about a million dollars.

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probably cause 1 million is a miniscule kickback

you gotta wonder how much goes under the table

Admitting that I don't know, but is this the first time a news organization has donated cash.

I thought that, traditionally, the way a news organization supports an agenda is through slanted news coverage and free publicity.

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With the campaign limits removed, there is no longer a need for it to go under the table.

I like Tom Dobbs from "Man of the Year"; "If you're representing special interest groups, maybe we should be like NASCAR with the little patches on the back: 'Enron: We take your money and run!' "

This should go for the media too.

Free markets and free press apparently cost about a million dollars.

Except that it looks bad, and so you might hide some of the donation, if able to do so legally.

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Except that it looks bad, and so you might hide some of the donation, if able to do so legally.

You mean, like, say, donating money to a Party, instead of to individual candidates. So that the candidates can say they didn't take the money.

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Admitting that I don't know, but is this the first time a news organization has donated cash.

I thought that, traditionally, the way a news organization supports an agenda is through slanted news coverage and free publicity.

This is definitely considered bad form. I know reporters are very strongly discouraged for campaigning or contributing to any candidate. It mars their ability to appear objective. I know editors eventually endorse candidates, but this is different. This is unabashedly taking sides.

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This is definitely considered bad form. I know reporters are very strongly discouraged for campaigning or contributing to any candidate. It mars their ability to appear objective. I know editors eventually endorse candidates, but this is different. This is unabashedly taking sides.

(Although, as a practical matter, let's face it. Even the most ardent Fox supporters in here will freely admit that Fox has been actively supporting the Republican Party since the day they were founded. They (the Fox people) simply claim that intentional, deliberate, mandated partisanship is justified, because everybody else occasionally fails to spin a story the way they think it should be spun.)

"Fox supports the GOP" isn't exactly news. Only new thing, here, is the way they did it.

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Well, if its not illegal (right now) and they don't preach out how its bad to donate to somebody specific. Then whatever.

Its public knowledge.

OMGness, you're seriously going to take a "meh" attitude when a major media outlet like News Corp which owns and operates 2 major national newspapers and apparently the most popular cable news network makes million dollar contributions to a specific political party...especially when we count on the media to bring us the truth and not a bought and paid for advertisement.

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(Although, as a practical matter, let's face it. Even the most ardent Fox supporters in here will freely admit that Fox has been actively supporting the Republican Party since the day they were founded. They (the Fox people) simply claim that intentional, deliberate, mandated partisanship is justified, because everybody else occasionally fails to spin a story the way they think it should be spun.)

"Fox supports the GOP" isn't exactly news. Only new thing, here, is the way they did it.

I honestly don't think it is possible for me to agree with a post more than I agree with this one. I am not sure which is more painful, the selling out of an entire media conglomerate or the justification that the Faux faithful will make on News Corp's behalf.

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OMGness, you're seriously going to take a "meh" attitude when a major media outlet like News Corp which owns and operates 2 major national newspapers and apparently the most popular cable news network makes million dollar contributions to a specific political party...especially when we count on the media to bring us the truth and not a bought and paid for advertisement.

I'm with Larry here.

Yes, I have a meh attitude. Media having an agenda is as old as this country.

Even though I imagine they do better when the GOP is in the minority because they have more to complain about.

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I'm with Larry here.

Yes, I have a meh attitude. Media having an agenda is as old as this country.

Even though I imagine they do better when the GOP is in the minority because they have more to complain about.

If we as a people allow our journalistic institutions to quite literally sell themselves out to political parties, then what in the world have we allowed to happen?! What can we trust? How can we believe anything that is brought to us through media outlets? In doing this we have reduced the Fourth Estate to a pawn of the political parties free to distribute their endless propaganda in the guise of "news".

Honestly, how dare we stand by silently?

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Hmmmm

One might think they have an agenda...

Nah! Just silly fingerpointing from the MSM!

~Bang

Well since every news organization has a bias and predisposition towards a political point of view this just does not matter. Where have we heard this before? Choose you propaganda carefully!! ;)

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If we as a people allow our journalistic institutions to quite literally sell themselves out to political parties, then what in the world have we allowed to happen?! What can we trust? How can we believe anything that is brought to us through media outlets? In doing this we have reduced the Fourth Estate to a pawn of the political parties free to distribute their endless propaganda in the guise of "news".

Honestly, how dare we stand by silently?

Look, its a story now. Most people who can think for themselves knew the connection for years. I don't watch Foxnews so the companies that have ads there have to reach me another way. On top of it, I don't vote for any R's....for the matter, any D's.

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I honestly don't think it is possible for me to agree with a post more than I agree with this one. I am not sure which is more painful, the selling out of an entire media conglomerate or the justification that the Faux faithful will make on News Corp's behalf.

Your absolute hatred of anything "fox" is clearly and vociferously know around these parts. An objective commentator you're not. :pfft:

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OMGness, you're seriously going to take a "meh" attitude when a major media outlet like News Corp which owns and operates 2 major national newspapers and apparently the most popular cable news network makes million dollar contributions to a specific political party...especially when we count on the media to bring us the truth and not a bought and paid for advertisement.

Disney who owns ABC has donated to Democrats.

GE who owns NBC has donated to Democrats.

Microsoft owns MSNBC, guess who they contribute to ....

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Disney who owns ABC has donated to Democrats.

GE who owns NBC has donated to Democrats.

Microsoft owns MSNBC, guess who they contribute to ....

And Fox contributes to OMG democrats!! Even Hillary Clinton for crying out loud!!! What a crazy world we live in.

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