SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
If Olbermann's Donations Are Bad, What About GE's?
Nov 05, 2010
MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has been placed on indefinite suspension without pay in the wake of a Politico report (11/5/10) that revealed Olbermann had donated $7,200 to three Democratic candidates, in violation of NBC's standards barring employees from making political contributions.
A journalist donating money to a political candidate
raises obvious conflict of interest questions; at a minimum, such
contributions should be disclosed on air. But if supporting politicians
with money is a threat to journalistic independence, what are the
standards for Olbermann's bosses at NBC, and at NBC's parent company General Electric?
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, GE
made over $2 million in political contributions in the 2010 election
cycle (most coming from the company's political action committee). The
top recipient was Republican Senate candidate Rob Portman from Ohio. The
company has also spent $32 million on lobbying this year, and
contributed over $1 million to the successful "No on 24" campaign
against a California ballot initiative aimed at eliminating tax
loopholes for major corporations (New York Times, 11/1/10).
Comcast, the cable company currently looking to buy NBC, has dramatically increased its political giving, much of it to lawmakers who support the proposed merger (Bloomberg, 10/19/10). And while Fox News parent News Corp's $1 million donation to the Republican Governors Association caused a stir, GE had "given $245,000 to the Democratic governors and $205,000 to the Republican governors since last year," reported the Washington Post (8/18/10).
Olbermann's donations are in some ways comparable to fellow MSNBC host Joe Scarborough's $4,200 contribution to Republican candidate Derrick Kitts in 2006 (MSNBC.com, 7/15/07). When that was uncovered, though, NBC
dismissed this as a problem, since Scarborough "hosts an opinion
program and is not a news reporter." Olbermann, of course, is also an
opinion journalist--but MSNBC seems to hold him to a different standard.
Two years earlier, the Washington Post reported (1/18/04):
NBC chief
executive Robert Wright has contributed $8,000 since 1999, including
$3,500 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and $1,000 to
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Andrew Lack, a former NBC News chief, gave $1,000 to Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) while NBC
president, and Wright contributed $1,500--after the House committee
Tauzin chairs held hearings on the networks' election night failures. NBC
spokeswoman Allison Gollust said the network allows its executives to
make contributions and that Wright "does not make any decisions specific
to news coverage."
executive Robert Wright has contributed $8,000 since 1999, including
$3,500 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and $1,000 to
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Andrew Lack, a former NBC News chief, gave $1,000 to Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) while NBC
president, and Wright contributed $1,500--after the House committee
Tauzin chairs held hearings on the networks' election night failures. NBC
spokeswoman Allison Gollust said the network allows its executives to
make contributions and that Wright "does not make any decisions specific
to news coverage."
Wright, however, was reported in a recent New York magazine piece (10/3/10) to have told then-NBC News chief Neal Shapiro to move to the right of Fox News in response to the September 11 attacks: "We have to be more conservative then they are," the magazine quoted Wright.
MSNBC's treatment of Olbermann is also in sharp contrast to Fox News' handling of Sean Hannity, who was revealed by Salon (9/23/10) to have given $5,000 to the campaign of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R.-Minn.), a Tea Party favorite--without Fox expressing any public disapproval. Hannity has allowed Republican candidates to use his Fox program for fundraising (Mediaite, 10/17/10); as Salon noted, Hannity was this year's keynote speaker at the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraising dinner.
If the concern is about how giving money to
politicians threatens journalistic independence, then companies like NBC
should explain why their parent companies can lavish so much money on
political candidates or causes with no concern about conflicts of
interest or the need to disclose these donations to viewers. The lesson
here would seem to be that some of the workers shouldn't make political
donations, but the bosses are free to give as much as they'd like.
Anyone who watches Olbermann's show knows what his political views are.
So what do the far larger contributions from GE tell us?
ACTION:
Ask NBC and MSNBC to explain their inconsistent standards regarding political donations.
CONTACT:
MSNBC President
Phil Griffin
phil.griffin@nbcuni.com
NBC News President
Steve Capus
steve.capus@nbcuni.com
Phone: (212) 664-4444
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR)
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (Fair)
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), the national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986.
MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has been placed on indefinite suspension without pay in the wake of a Politico report (11/5/10) that revealed Olbermann had donated $7,200 to three Democratic candidates, in violation of NBC's standards barring employees from making political contributions.
A journalist donating money to a political candidate
raises obvious conflict of interest questions; at a minimum, such
contributions should be disclosed on air. But if supporting politicians
with money is a threat to journalistic independence, what are the
standards for Olbermann's bosses at NBC, and at NBC's parent company General Electric?
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, GE
made over $2 million in political contributions in the 2010 election
cycle (most coming from the company's political action committee). The
top recipient was Republican Senate candidate Rob Portman from Ohio. The
company has also spent $32 million on lobbying this year, and
contributed over $1 million to the successful "No on 24" campaign
against a California ballot initiative aimed at eliminating tax
loopholes for major corporations (New York Times, 11/1/10).
Comcast, the cable company currently looking to buy NBC, has dramatically increased its political giving, much of it to lawmakers who support the proposed merger (Bloomberg, 10/19/10). And while Fox News parent News Corp's $1 million donation to the Republican Governors Association caused a stir, GE had "given $245,000 to the Democratic governors and $205,000 to the Republican governors since last year," reported the Washington Post (8/18/10).
Olbermann's donations are in some ways comparable to fellow MSNBC host Joe Scarborough's $4,200 contribution to Republican candidate Derrick Kitts in 2006 (MSNBC.com, 7/15/07). When that was uncovered, though, NBC
dismissed this as a problem, since Scarborough "hosts an opinion
program and is not a news reporter." Olbermann, of course, is also an
opinion journalist--but MSNBC seems to hold him to a different standard.
Two years earlier, the Washington Post reported (1/18/04):
NBC chief
executive Robert Wright has contributed $8,000 since 1999, including
$3,500 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and $1,000 to
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Andrew Lack, a former NBC News chief, gave $1,000 to Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) while NBC
president, and Wright contributed $1,500--after the House committee
Tauzin chairs held hearings on the networks' election night failures. NBC
spokeswoman Allison Gollust said the network allows its executives to
make contributions and that Wright "does not make any decisions specific
to news coverage."
executive Robert Wright has contributed $8,000 since 1999, including
$3,500 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and $1,000 to
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Andrew Lack, a former NBC News chief, gave $1,000 to Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) while NBC
president, and Wright contributed $1,500--after the House committee
Tauzin chairs held hearings on the networks' election night failures. NBC
spokeswoman Allison Gollust said the network allows its executives to
make contributions and that Wright "does not make any decisions specific
to news coverage."
Wright, however, was reported in a recent New York magazine piece (10/3/10) to have told then-NBC News chief Neal Shapiro to move to the right of Fox News in response to the September 11 attacks: "We have to be more conservative then they are," the magazine quoted Wright.
MSNBC's treatment of Olbermann is also in sharp contrast to Fox News' handling of Sean Hannity, who was revealed by Salon (9/23/10) to have given $5,000 to the campaign of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R.-Minn.), a Tea Party favorite--without Fox expressing any public disapproval. Hannity has allowed Republican candidates to use his Fox program for fundraising (Mediaite, 10/17/10); as Salon noted, Hannity was this year's keynote speaker at the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraising dinner.
If the concern is about how giving money to
politicians threatens journalistic independence, then companies like NBC
should explain why their parent companies can lavish so much money on
political candidates or causes with no concern about conflicts of
interest or the need to disclose these donations to viewers. The lesson
here would seem to be that some of the workers shouldn't make political
donations, but the bosses are free to give as much as they'd like.
Anyone who watches Olbermann's show knows what his political views are.
So what do the far larger contributions from GE tell us?
ACTION:
Ask NBC and MSNBC to explain their inconsistent standards regarding political donations.
CONTACT:
MSNBC President
Phil Griffin
phil.griffin@nbcuni.com
NBC News President
Steve Capus
steve.capus@nbcuni.com
Phone: (212) 664-4444
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (Fair)
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), the national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986.
MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has been placed on indefinite suspension without pay in the wake of a Politico report (11/5/10) that revealed Olbermann had donated $7,200 to three Democratic candidates, in violation of NBC's standards barring employees from making political contributions.
A journalist donating money to a political candidate
raises obvious conflict of interest questions; at a minimum, such
contributions should be disclosed on air. But if supporting politicians
with money is a threat to journalistic independence, what are the
standards for Olbermann's bosses at NBC, and at NBC's parent company General Electric?
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, GE
made over $2 million in political contributions in the 2010 election
cycle (most coming from the company's political action committee). The
top recipient was Republican Senate candidate Rob Portman from Ohio. The
company has also spent $32 million on lobbying this year, and
contributed over $1 million to the successful "No on 24" campaign
against a California ballot initiative aimed at eliminating tax
loopholes for major corporations (New York Times, 11/1/10).
Comcast, the cable company currently looking to buy NBC, has dramatically increased its political giving, much of it to lawmakers who support the proposed merger (Bloomberg, 10/19/10). And while Fox News parent News Corp's $1 million donation to the Republican Governors Association caused a stir, GE had "given $245,000 to the Democratic governors and $205,000 to the Republican governors since last year," reported the Washington Post (8/18/10).
Olbermann's donations are in some ways comparable to fellow MSNBC host Joe Scarborough's $4,200 contribution to Republican candidate Derrick Kitts in 2006 (MSNBC.com, 7/15/07). When that was uncovered, though, NBC
dismissed this as a problem, since Scarborough "hosts an opinion
program and is not a news reporter." Olbermann, of course, is also an
opinion journalist--but MSNBC seems to hold him to a different standard.
Two years earlier, the Washington Post reported (1/18/04):
NBC chief
executive Robert Wright has contributed $8,000 since 1999, including
$3,500 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and $1,000 to
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Andrew Lack, a former NBC News chief, gave $1,000 to Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) while NBC
president, and Wright contributed $1,500--after the House committee
Tauzin chairs held hearings on the networks' election night failures. NBC
spokeswoman Allison Gollust said the network allows its executives to
make contributions and that Wright "does not make any decisions specific
to news coverage."
executive Robert Wright has contributed $8,000 since 1999, including
$3,500 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and $1,000 to
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Andrew Lack, a former NBC News chief, gave $1,000 to Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) while NBC
president, and Wright contributed $1,500--after the House committee
Tauzin chairs held hearings on the networks' election night failures. NBC
spokeswoman Allison Gollust said the network allows its executives to
make contributions and that Wright "does not make any decisions specific
to news coverage."
Wright, however, was reported in a recent New York magazine piece (10/3/10) to have told then-NBC News chief Neal Shapiro to move to the right of Fox News in response to the September 11 attacks: "We have to be more conservative then they are," the magazine quoted Wright.
MSNBC's treatment of Olbermann is also in sharp contrast to Fox News' handling of Sean Hannity, who was revealed by Salon (9/23/10) to have given $5,000 to the campaign of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R.-Minn.), a Tea Party favorite--without Fox expressing any public disapproval. Hannity has allowed Republican candidates to use his Fox program for fundraising (Mediaite, 10/17/10); as Salon noted, Hannity was this year's keynote speaker at the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraising dinner.
If the concern is about how giving money to
politicians threatens journalistic independence, then companies like NBC
should explain why their parent companies can lavish so much money on
political candidates or causes with no concern about conflicts of
interest or the need to disclose these donations to viewers. The lesson
here would seem to be that some of the workers shouldn't make political
donations, but the bosses are free to give as much as they'd like.
Anyone who watches Olbermann's show knows what his political views are.
So what do the far larger contributions from GE tell us?
ACTION:
Ask NBC and MSNBC to explain their inconsistent standards regarding political donations.
CONTACT:
MSNBC President
Phil Griffin
phil.griffin@nbcuni.com
NBC News President
Steve Capus
steve.capus@nbcuni.com
Phone: (212) 664-4444
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy