MSNBC lists editors and reporters who made political donations
By Leah McBride Mensching, Thursday 21 June 2007 at 19:58 :: General :: #14 :: rss
MSNBC released a list today of 144 journalists who donated to political campaigns or causes in the United States from 2004 to early 2007, according to public records of the Federal Election Commission. Those working for newspapers made up the largest number, even though some newspapers have ethics clauses prohibiting or discouraging these types of donations.
Two journalists gave to both parties, but 125 journalists gave to Democrats and liberal causes, while only 17 gave to Republicans and conservative causes.
Newspapers that have ethics clauses in place do so to ward off any appearance of bias. So what are readers supposed to think when a junior editor at Dow Jones Newswires gave $1,036 to the liberal group MoveOn.org and writes a blog listing “people I don't like” as George Bush, Pat Robertson, the Christian Coalition, the NRA and corporate America? Or when an assistant managing editor at Forbes magazine sent $2,000 to Republicans and also volunteers as the director of a group funded by ExxonMobil that questions global warming? Even the ethics columnist at the New York Times, Randy Cohen, made the list by donating $585 in three donations in August 2004 to MoveOn.org, which conducted get-out-the-vote drives to defeat President George Bush.
Freelancers and staff members alike are covered by The New York Times Ethics Handbook, which state they are not allowed to “give money to, or raise money for, any political candidate or election cause.” Cohen told MSNBC.com he thought of MoveOn.org as a nonpartisan group, and thought his donation would be allowed even under the Times' strict policy, but said he would not donate to causes in the future.
Donating to political candidates is allowed at Fox, Forbes, Time, The New Yorker, Reuters and Bloomberg News. Bloomberg has nine campaign donors on the list, all of whom are allowed to donate unless they directly cover politics. Donations and any other political activity are forbidden at The Washington Post, ABC, CBS, CNN and NPR. And while it's discouraged, there is a bit more freedom to donate at Dow Jones, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report. NBC, MSNBC and MSNBC.com only require that employees report any potential conflicts of interest in advance.
Most donors cover food, fashion and sports, but some do come into contact with politics every once in awhile. A few of the donors have a lot of influence, such as wire editors deciding which state, national and international news to push for at budget meetings.
MSNBC.com got responses from most of the journalists about their donations. For the full MSNBC article, click here. To view the list of journalists, their donations and responses, click here.
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