rupert murdoch
rupert murdoch
Today, the New York Times
that
, the media conglomerate that owns Fox News,
the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, among others,
gave just over $1 million to the
Republican Governors Association
.
That's a hefty sum for a media corporation,
's Dave Levinthal tells the Times—especially one
that touts "
" reporting.
The Governors Association, in turn, gave New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Susana Martinez a
earlier this year.
---
The Times picked up the story from Bloomberg Businessweek, which
that since
governors' associations can take in unlimited corporate donations
, they're getting a lot of attention in anticipation of a heated election season.
The phenomenon is hardly limited to Republicans. In New Mexico, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Diane Denish received $125,000 from the Democratic Governors Association, plus another $100,000 from its biggest contributor, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (
).
What appears to
with the News Corp. contribution is that it's media-related.
Media Matters, a liberal-leaning media research group,
that the donation "underscores
News Corp.'s role as an appendage of the Republican Party"
; New York Magazine
that
"News Corp. Further Aligns Itself With the GOP."
But a News Corp. spokesman tells
that the donation has to do with the company's interest in a "pro-business agenda"—nothing more. And Fox News' political action committee, Smith reveals, also swings the other way:
Tthe [sic] giant check to the RGA dwarfs low four-figure checks from Fox's PAC
to Democrats including Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer.
Though Bloomberg calls it the RGA's "biggest corporate donor," according to OpenSecrets, News Corp. ranks sixth in the lineup of total RGA donors. (The Michigan Chamber of Commerce comes in first, followed by
and the Republican National Committee. Many top DGA donors are unions.)
Here's the kicker, though:
The RGA's eighth-biggest donor, just two spots below News Corp., is Blue Cross Blue Shield
. The health insurer is
the state Public Regulation Commission's attempts to block its
proposed 21 percent rate hike.
Denish is
opposing more oversight
for the PRC;
the online New Mexico Independent,
Martinez didn't return calls
for a
on subject. Blue Cross is a
whose largesse has extended to Denish but not Martinez, campaign finance reports show.
The one bright spot for consumers is the recent
that New Mexico will receive $1 million to better evaluate rate hike proposals.
