Gimpy wrote:Some not too shocking stuff here. The media is largely ignoring Bernie while raising money for Shillary's campaign. It's pretty gross to me to call our system of government a democracy when our candidates are bought, paid for, and selected by large corporations.The presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is demanding more equitable coverage from the “corporate network news,” which it says has engaged in a “Bernie blackout.”
The campaign pointed to data showing that flagship news programs on ABC, CBS and NBC devote paltry air time to Sanders compared to other similarly positioned candidates.
“The corporately-owned media may not like Bernie’s anti-establishment views but for the sake of American democracy they must allow for a fair debate in this presidential campaign,” Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said in a statement Friday.
“Bernie must receive the same level of coverage on the nightly news as other leading candidates,” Weaver continued.
The statement said ABC’s “World News Tonight” has devoted 81 minutes of air time to the campaign of Republican primary front-runner Donald Trump this year, compared to 20 seconds on Sanders through the end of November.
It also pointed to NBC’s “Nightly News,” which has afforded Sanders’ campaign 2.9 minutes of air time, and “CBS Evening News,” which has given Sanders 6.4 minutes of coverage.
The campaign pointed out that Sanders has received some of the largest crowds of any presidential candidate this election cycle, yet fails to draw equivalent levels of media attention.
Sanders currently trails Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton nationally, according to a RealClearPolitics polling average. Clinton garners 54 percent support, with Sanders at 31 percent.
But the Vermont senator leads Clinton in the early-voting state of New Hampshire by four points, according to RCP.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/dem ... rate-mediaThe giant media companies that shape much of the coverage of the presidential campaign have a vested stake in the outcome. From campaign finance laws that govern how money is spent on advertising to the regulators who oversee consolidation rules, the media industry has a distinct policy agenda, and with it, a political team to influence the result.
The top fundraisers for Clinton include lobbyists who serve the parent companies of CNN and MSNBC.
The National Association of Broadcasters, a trade group that represents the television station industry, has lobbyists who are fundraising for both Clinton and Republican candidate Marco Rubio.
Presidential campaigns are obligated by law to send the Federal Election Commission a list of lobbyists who serve as “bundlers,” collecting hundreds of individual checks on behalf of a candidate’s campaign.
CNN’s parent company, Time Warner, is represented on Capitol Hill by Steve Elmendorf, an adviser to Clinton during her 2008 campaign, who is also known as “one of Washington’s top lobbyists.” He’s lobbied on a number of issues important for media companies like CNN, including direct-to-consumer advertising policy.
Elmendorf, according to disclosures, has raised at least $141,815 for Clinton’s 2016 bid for the presidency.
Comcast, the parent company of NBC Universal, which includes cable networks NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC, has a number of lobbyists on retainer who are working to raise cash for the Clinton campaign, including Justin Gray, Alfred Mottur, Ingrid Duran and Catherine Pino.
https://theintercept.com/2015/10/29/med ... ential/?dg
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/tru ... 538twitter
Mostly about Trump, but the Dem numbers stick out, too.
