Don’t co-host a debate Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) doesn’t like. Or else.
Local media stations make big bucks off of campaign dollars. So it’s particularly revolting when a Member of Congress uses the allure of campaign funding to try to intimidate the media.
The story just broke that Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) apparently threatened to stop advertising on a local radio station because it was co-hosting a debate he had chosen not to participate in:
U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, a Republican, told WUTR-TV in Utica he would not run ads with the station unless it dropped plans to co-host a debate in which Hanna refused to participate, according to an email written by the stationai??i??s general manager.
WUTRai??i??s Stephen Merren said Thursday he accidentally sent the email recounting the conversation to the spokesman for Democratic candidate Dan Lamb, reports Brian Tumulty of Gannettai??i??s Washington bureau. […] Ai??ai???He (Hanna) indicated to me that we would not be considered for his ad dollars and our level of cooperation in the future could be affected,ai??? Merren said in his email.
ai???Congressman Richard Hanna should be ashamed of himself for using his money to influence the journalistic decisions of a local news station,ai??? said Hannah’s Democratic Party opponent Dan Lamb said in a press statement. ai???If this isnai??i??t a violation of FCC rules, it should be. What Hanna did is the moral equivalent of bribing a cop. If the news media can be bought off, our entire democracy is at risk.ai???
Democracy is under attack because the media have been co-opted by the corporate state.
Oh my! I just about can’t stand to reax these articles. They are so ignorant and slanted it actually pains me. The rash generalizations, the one-sided facts, where did unbiased reporting go? This article makes it sound like only the republicans spend money on these elections. The truth is both side are filled with special interests. Until we reform campaign funding and limit the number of terms a member of congress can serve, we are doomed to this type of antic. Instead of pointing fingers, I invite people to get mad at both sides and demand change.