Many media accounts correctly draw the links between the access that big money can buy and the political favors that donors come to expect. But a significant portion of that money goes straight to the media themselves. As debate on the Senate floor began on March 19, viewers would be hard-pressed to find any straight forward account of how the system actually works. It's not hard to see why broadcasters would not be interested in disclosing the extraordinary benefits they get from the current political financing scheme. Earlier in the month, a report by the Alliance for Better Campaigns accused television stations of gouging adverti sers by charging more than the basic rate for political ads.
Broadcasters participate as campaign contributors as well.
Broadcast lobbies like the National Association of Broadcasters are considered among the most powerful in Washington, and the mechanics of political campaigns are all too familiar to those close to the system. You simply transfer money from contributors to television stations. As the issue of campaign finance reform takes center stage, the broadcast industry's participation in the scandal demands greater scrutiny. Encourage the broadcast news outlets to investigate the role of the media industry itself in the campaign finance debate. Media companies have an obligation to explain their role as beneficiaries of the current system.