The DGA files a challenge to Fox News' promotion of Kasich campaign

[cal04]

The DGA files a challenge to Fox News' promotion of Kasich campaign
by Steve Singiser
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/9/3/898715/-OH-Gov:-The-DGA-files-a-challenge-to-Fox-News-promotion-of-Kasich-campaign

Kudos to the Democratic Governor's Association, the campaign arm for gubernatorial races around the nation. They have been relentlessly pursuing what has been obvious to progressives for years: the fact that a media outlet (Fox News Channel) behaves very much like a subsidiary for the campaign wing of the Republican Party.

In a complaint to the Ohio Board of Elections, the DGA argues that the line between annoying cheerleading and violations of election law might finally have been crossed:

Democrats allege in a legal filing that, by plugging an Ohio gubernatorial candidate's website in a chyron, Fox News illegally contributed to the Republican's campaign.

A seven-page complaint filed Thursday by the Democratic Governors Association with the Ohio Elections Commission accuses Fox News of making an illegal in-kind contributions to gubernatorial candidate John Kasich (R-OH), reports Sam Stein.
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/02/dga-files-complaint-again_n_703358.html)

DGA head Nathan Daschle pointed out in an interview that his team had done some research, and in the course of that groundwork they discovered that other broadcast outlets "have policies against putting up campaign websites like Fox did."

This level of open campaign promotion, however, is nothing new for Fox News. Indeed, you might recall in July that Nevada Republican Senate nominee Sharron Angle actually made clear that she would only go on television programs that would allow her to promote her campaign, including on-air fundraising.

In that extraordinary admission, Media Matters did a little bit of digging and found that, indeed, she had done just that on three separate Fox News programs:

On Monday, Angle began an interview with Neil Cavuto by stating, "Well, first of all, Neil, it's great to be on your show to talk about this campaign against Harry Reid who needs $25 million -- and I have been saying I only need a million people to send $25 to SharronAngle.com." Angle also made fundraising pitches on Hannity and Fox & Friends.

It is not the first time in recent weeks that the DGA and America's source for right-wing propaganda have crossed paths. Two weeks ago, the DGA demanded that Fox News, whenever they delve into election coverage, should have to disclose that they donated $1 million to the DGA's political nemesis, the Republican Governor's Association.

While FNC predictably refused to offer such a disclosure, the DGA had the last laugh, announcing this week that they had raised over $1 million in the wake of the story.


(Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified)