Fox Parent News Corp. Funds GOP Attack Machine to the Tune of $1 Million - So Far
It isn't like this is a complete surprise, but still, there is something incestuous about News Corp. donating $1 million to the Republican Governors' Association in order for the Republican Governors' Association to mount high-profile attack campaigns on Democratic candidates. I think it's safe for everyone to eliminate the terms "fair" and "balanced" from any discussion of Fox News.
More disturbing to me than even the editorial compromise that comes from such a contribution is the fact that the largest shareholder (besides Murdoch) in News Corp is Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who is launching an Arabic News Network in partnership with News Corp. That raises all sorts of ethical and political issues for me. Does the corporate veil shield News Corp from the ban on contributions from foreign countries? It likely does, but it certainly should disqualify Fox News from being considered a "news outlet."
News Corp. isn't the only member of the RGA Million Dollar Roundtable, either, though they hold the record for the most compromised by it. David Koch has also donated $1 million to the cause, and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce has given $2,547,500 in 2010.
There are many other corporate members of the Six-Figure club. Keep in mind these are cumulative totals through June 30, 2010. Expect them to at least double by November:
- AT&T: $280,000
- Chevron: $150,000
- Coca-Cola Bottling Company: $100,000
- Coca-Cola Company: $135,000
- Consolidated Energy: $100,000
- Contran Corp: $100,000 (also $25,000 from Harold Simmons, CEO Total: $125,000)
- Devon Energy: $250,000
- Eli Lilly: $210,000
- Emerson: $100,000
- FirstEnergy Corp: $250,000
- Philip Geier: $100,000
- General Electric Co: $105,000
- Hewlett-Packard: $100,900
- Hunt Consolidated: $100,000
- IQ Innovations: $200,000
- Jacobs Entertainment: $125,000
- Liberty Mutual Group: $100,000
- Metropolitan Milwaukee Assoc. of Commerce: $115,000
- Larry Mizel/MDC Holdings: $100,000
- MTR Gaming: $125,000
- Mugar Enterprises/David Mugar: $100,000
- Murray Energy Corporation: $100,000
- Natixis Global Asset Management, LP: $100,000
- New Balance: $100,000
- Nextera Energy Resources, Inc.: $100,000
- Oracle: $100,000
- Peabody Investments Corp: $120,000
- Bruce Rauner/GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC: $100,000
- Ryan Innovative Solutions: $100,000
- SAS Institute: $130,000
- SEIU: $100,000
- Paul Singer/Elliott Management: $500,000
- Jack Taylor/Enterprise Holdings: $190,000 (Also $50,000 from Andrew Taylor, CEO and Phyllis Taylor $25,000 Total $265,000)
- Travelers Indemnity Company: $200,000
- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc: $140,000
- Richard DeVos/Alticor: $150,000
Keep in mind, this is only the list from the June, 2010 quarterly report. I'm certain there are many more on the March 2010 report who poured their money in at the first of the year.
For the publicly held corporations like News Corp, those donations come right off the bottom line. Funny how employees are overhead to cut, lay off, underpay and overwork in order to boost that bottom line, but million-dollar contributions to Haley Barbour's attack machine are just part of the cost of doing business.
Not funny. But true.
What a complete farce these jerks are.
Maybe they could just give up the charade? Only the deeply ignorant can't see through the smoke and mirrors of their dog and pony show.
the dems will have major debates on that network to get back at them
Let's not forget Fox employs Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich - and Rick Santorum - as commentator/media personalities.
Fox owns the party and employs the candidates.
Can you imagine the outcry from the Right if, say, Hillary worked for MSNBC, and the same network's corporate parent contributed funds to the Democratic Party? You'd never here the end of it.
is the standard.
Their phony outrage over everything makes up for their sheer hypocrisy in the eyes of the drooling wingnuts.
You're quite correct, Canuck. Fox has GOP operatives in their employ, and then has the temerity to promote themselves as "fair and balanced", yet if MSNBC were to do same with Democrats, they will cry foul.
Why do people still think of Fox's propaganda unit as a news outlet is beyond comprehension. Also, why do Democrats agree to appear on Fox, when they know that their viewpoint doesn't matter to the network anyway? It is like having a debate with a cactus.
Ailles and Murdoch hate America.
"Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob"
-= Franklin Delano Roosevelt =-
This is Fox? The one owned by an Aussie and a Saudi prince?
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
Exactly.
Can anyone explain to me what is conservative
about Fox or even those calling
themselves conservative.
I mean what does that brand stand for?
They lost me years ago.
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
mediamatters4america:
Rupert Murdoch Lied to Media Matters
When will government of the people, by the politicians, for the corporations perish from this Earth?
Not soon enough!
no surprise, he's in the business of lying.
I have loads of comments on that video at MM4A!
Why do democratic officials continue to legitimize FOX "news" by appearing on the network?
almost every day.
NOBODY 2012
Why is anybody surprised by the Cheating, corrupt, teaparty Wing-Nuts. Afterall Fux Noise is the headquarters of the racist teapartying, Reslug party.
But it's one thing to intuit something and another to have one million pieces of evidence to back up what you know but could not prove.
There really are ethical issues with this. How can they reasonably claim to be reporting the news when the corporate culture is clearly biased? What about the ownership of the Saudi Prince?
What about the fact that News Corp not only owns Fox News but also the Wall Street Journal, the NY Post, and other print publications?
We need a new classification for what is "press" and what is "opinion". I know, for example, that what I write is opinion. I don't pretend to be unbiased; in fact, I'll state it up front to anyone who asks. On the other hand, Fox claims to be delivering the news, but it's all just opinion, whether Murdoch has direct editorial control or not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk6iI1Fh4VQ
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Koch Industries-funded Americans For Prosperity bought $4.1 million in teevee ads targeting 24 seats (all but 1 held by Democrats).
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/16/natio...
...and the ad is really cheesy, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA71f3IiFqE
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
...as I think I recall you saying you're in Oregon.
Is this why Chris Dudley skipped the "debate" with the Oregon newspaper editors and John Kitzhaber and instead went on "vacation" to the Republican Governors' Convention in Colorado?
This must be where all his money's coming from. He certainly isn't giving any specifics about policy that would make anyone want to contribute to his campaign. Sounds like the making of another famous former-Yale-"grad," know-nothing governor.
Ah yes, our friends at the Chamber of Fascism, once again showing what clueless idiot scumbags they are.
Just who is gonna buy anything when we are all living hand to mouth? Evil is one thing. But stupid and evil is inexcusable.
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
Faux News funds a right-wing group, then gets the money back when the group pays for commercial time. Why didn't they just cut out the middle man and runs ads for Rethuglican governors themselves?
It's free speech. The Supreme Court said so.
This is what 30 years of acquiescence to the GOP agenda has gotten you.
Enjoy trying to unwind it now.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
The Five Fascists' of the Apocalypse did a he** of a job on us.
If the psychotic republicans ever regain the majority (they never really lost power), I predict a revolt once they screw the boomers on their SS.
And idiot Obama is playing right into their hands...............
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
they don't even hide it anymore.
NOBODY 2012
they'd decertify that FAUX NOISE front row seat as a conflict of interest.
All they did was transpose the original wording of the "Fairness Doctrine" which stated that the airwaves are owned by "THE PEOPLE" and therefore when covering community news or anything that had more than 1 side the reports must be "balanced and fair". Since FOX is a cable cesspool they were never covered by the "broadcast" restraints. ONLY because nobody ever got around to challenging it.
The real tip of the spear could be to revoke Murdoch's "hurry-up" citizenship.
He wanted to buy 20th Century Fox just so he could control the rights of the movie library (and colorize some things like Ted Turner did with MGM) , but 20th Century Fox owned the maximum of 5 TV stations at the time, and 20th C/F was basically broke and the only money making part of it was the TV division, including its fledgling network of old movie syndication. The FCC rules state that foreigners CAN NOT own broadcast licenses, so Saint Ronnie gave him a "hurry up" citizenship in 1985 just so he could buy 20th Century Fox, because Ronnie was told that Murdoch was going to "save" Hollywood. Saint Ronnie liked that. All of the major studios were going belly up, so...
Murdoch was greased into citizenship in about 30 days. Then the FOX buyout was legal.
Furriner!
The legacy of old Ronnie "rotten brain" Reagan lives on - unfortunately.
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
A millions dollars and all the free air time, anyone in a political party could ever want, and this guy complaining that Rupie Murdoch lied to him, and he's surprised??????
Of course Fox and all the others on the list are trying to control our govt and us, we've known that for a long time. We're pretty much wasting time rehashing and bashing the evil GOP, although, they do need some timely bashing once a day. What we really need to do is spend more time calling out, and rooting out, the DINO's under our tent. The GOP, as corrupt as it is, isn't the only problem in our country. We need to clean up our own house, elect real progressive people that work for us instead of the big corporations. Doing that continually will keep the country colored blue for a long time.
I thought Fox News WAS the GOP Attack Machine.
A megalomaniacal Australian and a Saudi prince fucking with the American political system, working 24/7 to 'catapult the stupid'.
That'll work out great for America.
They catapulted the stupid when they sold Ronald Reagan to the American public.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
to take this money away but it calls for a small sacrifice. We must stop doing business with companies such as these. I for one do not do business AT & T (or Verizon), Coca Cola, Wal-Mart (The High Cost Of Low Prices), or GE. If you do not like what these companies do but, you buy from them, then YOU are part of the problem!
How much of the million will swim back into NewsCorp's coffers via political ads on Fox News and local affiliate stations?
Anywhere but broadcasting, that would be called a kickback. For the right wing, it's just the Circle Of Life.
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