Nev. Lawmaker Seeks Opinion on TV Contract

[Rose Siding]

CARSON CITY, Nev. - When state Sen. Barbara Cegavske reports for work each morning in the Nevada capital, she's collecting two paychecks — one as lawmaker, the other as consultant to a Las Vegas television station.

Cegavske draws $3,000 a month to give advice to NBC affiliate KVBC on education and legislative matters, something she sees nothing wrong with.
...
Still, criticism from journalism ethics experts has spurred the Republican lawmaker to ask the state ethics commission to determine if she's violating any laws by working for KVBC. The station is owned by Sunbelt Communications, which belongs to a wealthy businessman — Jim Rogers — who also is interim chancellor of the University and Community College System of Nevada.
...
Her announcement has journalism experts questioning whether Channel 3 can ensure its fairness with a partisan public officer consulting for them.

"I think that there is an expectation that journalists are the watchdog of government and it's hard to be a watchdog if you've got (lawmakers) on your payroll," said Kelly McBride, an ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute, an independent think tank for journalists.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050309/ap_on_re_us/lawmaker_tv_contract

[liveoaktx]

1. Do the lawmakers that go on cable *news* programs get spiffed?

Or do they appear for free?

[SoCalDem]

2. So who is the DEM "lawmaker" on the cable company's payroll?

Oh.. yeah!! There ISN'T one..!! This is a typical Rove-ian tactic...to be "helpful" in providing information to the media.. That's why there is NEVER a shortage of "policy experts" and "specialists" ready to hit the airwaves at a moment's notice..

Saves the TV venue the cost of "real journalism", and they get a tidy little package of republican-friendly propaganda.. For their helpfulness, they can rest assured that thery have the full attention of their "paid-for whore" in the legislature:(

[Rose Siding]

3. How many local stations have repub "consultants"?

When the party in power colludes with the press on every level, what political opponent can't be destroyed?

From Fox and Gannon types, to Scaife's paper's demands about the Hienz will, and now to local coverage- the One Party Government is merging with the press.

Some moderate outlets follow strict ethics rules. The SF Chronicle fired a reporter (who was unassociated with political coverage) for ATTENDING a protest. But the bloated ranks of the rabidly conservative side of things have no such ethical inclination.

If there's no outcry or ethical resolution of this Vegas situation (that station will be covering Harry Reid's next campaign!) then what's to stop the practice from spreading? -if it isn't ALREADY widespread?

Everything looks like a trial balloon to me: Can we get away with this? I don't know. Let's try it in a mid-sized market and see.

[SoCalDem]

4. and Las vegas is a BIG union town too. I cannot believe that the unions

let her get away with this.. They should all band together and fight this bigtime.. Repubes hate unions and look for every opportunity to weaken them. giving a repube free airtime and even PAYING her is repulsive:(

[Rose Siding]

5. She quit: Nevada lawmaker quits consulting job

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Following criticism of consulting work done for a Las Vegas television station, Nevada Sen. Barbara Cegavske and the station's owner, Sunbelt Communications, ended her $3,000-a.m.onth arrangement on Wednesday.
...
While Cegavske's fellow lawmakers say her disclosure of the relationship is enough, journalism experts say it is inadvisable for a media outlet - or the company that owns it - to pay a sitting lawmaker to consult on important issues and that such a relationship compromises fairness and balance.

The Nevada Ethics Commission, responding to a request for an advisory opinion from Cegavske, found Wednesday that she did not violate any state ethics laws with the arrangement.

However, the commission said it didn't have enough evidence to make a more definitive finding because it only received testimony from Cegavske herself.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2005/mar/09/030910114.html