90% of political donations from media to Biden, Sanders, AOC, Democrats: report
Reporters and other members of the media have donated at least $110,000 to candidates and parties in the upcoming election, with more than 90% going to Democrats, including Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, according to a new in-depth report.
“Reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and The Houston Chronicle are among dozens of reporters, editors and other reporters who have donated tens of thousands of dollars to political candidates and causes” , said the titled report, “Meet 39 journalists who have made political contributions. They are among dozens who have together given at least $110,000, mostly to 2020 Democrats, including Biden, Bernie and AOC.”
And there could be a lot more media money for campaigns at the federal level, according to the first part of a series by a campaign finance expert and Business Intern journalist Dave Levinthal.
He wrote: “Because the FEC contribution data contains omissions and errors, and Insider could not definitively confirm certain contributions attributed in the public records to journalists, the number is likely greater than 110,000. dollars.”
The report cites a few names and shows how some big outfits squirmed when presented with Federal Election Commission reports that staffers contributed to candidates.
It also comes as some outlets are criticized for ignoring or denigrating the influence peddling scandal hitting members of the Biden family and accepting the former vice president’s efforts to limit access to journalists.
The donations noted in the article come from 43 members of the media with or associated with media, including:
- CNN
- Fox
- Washington Post
- Los Angeles Times
- hill
- washington time
- Intercept
- Mother Jones
- New York Post
- New York Times
- New York magazine
- boston globe
- Houston Chronicle
- ProPublica
- McClatchy
- Bloomberg
- Business Intern
It was just for large sums. Contributions of $200 or less do not require a detailed FEC report.
Some members of the media have planned monthly donations, according to the report, although, it adds, the vast majority of journalists and staff are not making any contributions.
Many media outlets frown on donations, and some have policies against it. Levinthal, for example, noted that the hill and the Los Angeles Times berated staff members for making contributions.
And some media donations do not align with the supposed policy of the organization the staff members work for. For example, he found donations from a Fox and NNew York Post staffer of the Democrats.
A former Fox staffer, who worked for the network while she donated to Sanders, wrote of them, “‘I hate them’ or ‘I f—— hate my life’ after having listed Fox as his employer in FEC documents,” according to the report.
