Matt Stoller: Rick Kaplan and NBC's Ethics Problem (re: Chris Matthews)

[Totally Committed]

Matt Stoller: Rick Kaplan and NBC's Ethics Problem
by Matt Stoller, Wed Mar 15, 11:53 PM ET

For a few months, a few of us progressive bloggers have been running a site called Open Letter to Chris Matthews site (http://openlettertochrismatthews.blogspot.com/). We started it because we were fed up with the constant right-wing talking points coming from Hardball's host. It's been a pretty interesting ride so far, and what we've found out is quite interesting.

You see, last week, we released a report (http://rawprint.com/pdfs/rawstorymatthews.pdf) on Chris Matthews and his outside speaking appearances, including appearances before several lobbying groups. What we couldn't confirm at the time was the official NBC ethics policy regarding acceptance of outside speaking fees (we asked NBC repeatedly, but got no answer), and whether Matthews actually took money from these lobbying associations.

It was possible, for instance, that Matthews spoke as the keynote speaker at the International Franchise Association's "2004 Franchise Appreciation Day" for free. Maybe their agenda of 'overtime reform' and ending the estate tax, as well as their Political Action Committee's direction of 87% of their donations to Republicans during the 2004 cycle made Chris Matthews feel so warm and fuzzy that he did the speech for free. That Matthews is listed on a speakers bureau page (http://www.allamericanspeakers.com/newspeakerbio/3494/index.php) as accepting fees is not necessarily proof after all that he takes money for speaking in front of these groups, though it is strongly suggestive.

Now, neither NBC nor MSNBC were particularly responsive to our requests for the NBC ethics policy before we published the report. But now we know, because of someone who was able to contact MSNBC President Rick Kaplan, what we wanted to know in the first place. Apparently, there is a policy, NBC anchors don't take money, and we are being unfair to Chris Matthews. From Americablog (http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/03/chris-matthews-accepted-huge-speaking.html):

To: xxxxx (NBC Universal, MSNBC)
Sent: Sunday, March 12, 2006 5:26 AM
Subject: Re: Conflict of Interest: Matthews Big Speaking Engagements at Right Wing Organizations

No NBC anchors take money from any interest group...or any group that I can think of...but these folks don't want to hear that and we choose not to engage them. Chris couldn't be more unfairly treated...

Rick Kaplan
President, MSNBC
xxx-xxx-xxxx
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

Kaplan's email is consistent with what Howard Kurtz wrote in 2002 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A58606-2002Jan29?language=printer) about allowing outside speaking fees for some TV journalists - that "a number of news organizations, including ABC and NBC, banned the practice."

So then, NBC apparently has a policy of not allowing anchors to take money for speaking fees from 'interest groups', as Kaplan puts it. The question becomes, is Matthews violating that rule?
The answer is that if this policy exists, as Kaplan claims it does, then we now know that Matthews is violating it.

Think Progress confirmed with several trade/lobbying groups (http://thinkprogress.org/2006/03/15/matthews-speaking-fees/), including one that paid Chris Matthews $35,000 for one appearance. And these trade groups are interest groups. They lobby and give political contributions.

Rick Kaplan isn't looking too great right now. He's either a liar, he doesn't know his own ethics policy, or he has no idea, nor interest in, what his stars are doing in clear violation of his own network's ban on accepting speaking fees from interest groups.

----------------

Oh yeah, one more thing. Guess who's also listed as being available for speaking fees, potentially also in violation of NBC policy? Tim Russert.

http://digbig.com/4gsst

And we wonder why Matthews and Russert have been spouting RW talking points relentlessly these last months... Kaplan is lying to protect them, or he isn't aware they are violating NBC Ethics Rules. Gotta wonder. So much for a free and fair media -- Like everything else these days, even pundits' opinions are for sale. Excellent blog-piece!

TC

[papau]

1. GE/NBC's Rick Kaplan is a right wing liar - not exactly breaking news.

:-(

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. We are absolutely being fair to Matthews.

When Matthews mentions his connection to the Democratic party during the Jimmy Carter Administration, he is setting up the perception to his audience that he is a Democrat. If people accuse him of being too hard on Democrats on his show, his response is that he's just playing Hardball and trying to be fair.

But the speaking fees suggests that Matthews is intentionally defrauding his public. Until he gets found out, he has something to sell and the Republicans are ready to buy it, just like they bought it from Armstrong Williams.

[Totally Committed]

3. I totally agree with you.

Matthews is a fraud and his unethical activities need to be exposed, if for no other reason than to let people know what he's up to. Just as an addendum: Russert is just as bad, if not worse. They both need to be taken to the woodshed.

TC

[SpiralHawk]

4. GE: "We bring good propaganda to life (via our puppets at NBC)"

Corporate propaganda catapulting

[Totally Committed]

5. Another good post about NBC/MSNBC's "ethics"...

and bias:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2516977&mesg_id=2516977

TC