CNN and MS NOW are both airing taxpayer-funded ads that promote President Donald Trump, who last month tried to ban the cable news networks from White House grounds.
As The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, two pro-Trump ads have aired on MS NOW and CNN this week in select markets, even though legal experts and government watchdogs say the ads violate laws prohibiting taxpayer funds for political propaganda.
In a statement provided to the Post, MS NOW spokesperson Richard Hudock defended the decision to run the ads.
“We know the size, engagement, and influence of the MS NOW audience, and apparently the White House does, too,” said Hudock. “The decision to spend taxpayer dollars to reach our audience speaks for itself.”
The MS NOW spokesperson also emphasized that “accepting an advertisement is not an endorsement of its message, and purchasing airtime will never purchase favorable coverage.”
This justification drew an angry rebuke from Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch.
“This is just despicable by MS NOW, which has accepted stolen taxpayers dollars for 38 illegal ads,” Filipkowski wrote in a Thursday social media post. “Give me a break with this bullshit statement too. So your hosts are on air all day saying this is illegal while you are taking the money and running the ads? Just gross.”
According to a Wednesday report from Status, some MS NOW insiders are “pissed” about the decision to air the Trump ads, with some noting that the network’s viewers will “hate” seeing them.
Government watchdog Public Citizen on Tuesday filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) demanding that the government-funded Trump ads be taken off the air.
However, Trump-appointed Trump FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told reporters on Wednesday that he is not planning any investigation into the ads, which he described as “public service announcements” despite the fact that they feature audio of the president personally vowing to “defeat communism, socialism, and Marxism in America.”
“I don’t think there’s anything unique or different about it,” said Carr. “There’s nothing in there that strikes me that merit any sort of FCC review.”
From Common Dreams via This RSS Feed.