It’s official. The 2014 midterm election is now the most expensive election in American history, surpassing the record setting presidential election of 2012. Political ad spending poised to shatter record: Total advertising in the 2014 elections is expected to reach $2.4 billion, up $100 million from four years ago.
And who is the ultimate recipient of all the campaign advertising dollars? That’s right boys and girls, the corporate media. There should be some nice Christmas bonuses passed out this year from all this campaign largesse.
While we need transparency and disclosure in campaign contributions and expenditures, I would argue in favor of one more measure of transparency and disclosure: the media — television/cable, newspapers and other print media, internet service providers, telephone service — should have to publicly disclose how much money they received for political advertising and its sources. I know they maintain records of this. So voluntarily publish this information.
If you believe that this flood of advertising revenue does not impact editorial decisions on the news coverage you see reported by the media, I have some ocean front property in Arizona I would like to sell you.
Best government money can buy. We are now ranked with the banana republics. And it took less than a generation to get here.
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