The NY Times' In-Kind Donation?
Congressman Davis is demanding hearings to determine whether The NY Times' discounted rate for the General Betray Us ad constitutes a violation of campaign finance laws.
Wonder how the Times feels about its support for such laws now? How unimaginably sad that a once-great newspaper could potentially be "busted" for illegally contributing to a political campaign.
Wonder how the Times feels about its support for such laws now? How unimaginably sad that a once-great newspaper could potentially be "busted" for illegally contributing to a political campaign.
posted by LadybugUSA at 12:33 PM
6 Comments:
NYT claims Moveon.org received standard standby rate, available to all advocacy groups.
So they say. Now we'll see if they make good on that claim.
NYT claims Moveon.org received standard standby rate, available to all advocacy groups.
Well, that settles that. When Ms. Liebau made the claim that MoveOn had received a special rate, I assumed that such an easily checked statement of fact couldn't be wrong. I really shouldn't take for granted any statements of fact made by Ms. Liebau.
Just to be sure, though, I ran it down and here's a link to an article in Advertising Age showing the Mr. Guiliani paid exactly the same ad rate that MoveOn paid.
There really isn't any point in asking Ms. Liebau to issue a correction of her earlier statements. Such a request would be a waste of time.
I do wonder, how long will this lie continue to echo through the right-wing blogosphere? There are still plenty of right-wingers who believe that Mr. Hussein was mixed up in 9/11, supported al-Qaeda, and had WMD. All the truth in the world is insufficient to change the mind of a suitably determined believer.
Wow, Chepe! It didn't take you long to go from detailed, reasoned arguments to bitter name calling.
What gives?
Personally, I think Congressman Davis is show boating. If Congress didn't investigate the Times for publishing national security secrets, I don't see the point of pressing this issue.
Besides, even if there was no special rate given to MoveOn - and I tend to believe this to be the case -, the Times has embarassed itself enough in this instance by using it's discretion to publish the "Betray Us" ad on the very day General Petraeus testified before Congress.
"OK MoveOn, we have your ad. Here's the price. But there's a catch. We decide when to print it."
I think a person would have to "willingly suspend their disbelief" to NOT see the timing of the publishing of this ad as bias against the current administration and the US military.
Greg, you segue instantly from "Gotcha! You gave a special rate!" to "Gotcha! You gave a special day!" Can't you see that this kind of rate is an utterly conventional capacity-utilization technique? It's exactly like the airlines giving special low rates on unfilled seats -- it even uses the same term: standby rate. They've got the extra capacity, and it's a matter of use it or lose it. The decision to use it is made at the last minute. "Look, we have 11 pages of content in Section One. We can't print eleven pages, so we need an extra page. Let's shove that MoveOn ad in right here."
Chepe,
If you'll notice, my comment most definitely did not include a "Gotcha! You gave a special rate." I clearly stated that I believed no special rate was given.
Pay attention, Chepe. Occasionally I agree with you.
As for the disinterested manner in which you describe the timing of publishing the ad, I again paraphrase Senator Clinton: "That requires a willful suspension of disbelief."
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