" POLITICO" that new Webzine that C-Span and M$M Quotes all the time...WHO OWNS THEM?

[KoKo]

Friday May 4, 2007 13:08 EST
Who funds and runs the Politico?

-snip-

Like most billionaires with diverse business interests, Joe Allbritton had political relationships of all sorts. But the coterie around him -- and those who created the Politico, including the Politico's current CEO -- are plainly firmly entrenched in the right-wing political movement, with overlapping business and other ties to the Bushes, all kinds of international financial interactions with the Saudis and various right-wing governments, and long-standing ties of many kinds to the Reagan circle.

We hear incessantly about how this group or that group is funded by George Soros, as though that fact, by itself, proves the group's political affiliations. But those groups do not purport to be nonpartisan newspapers or sources of news. The Politico claims exactly that. Surely it is notable that those who created The Politico, who are funding it, and who are in charge of its operations, are long-time Republican operatives and those firmly implanted in right-wing circles.

UPDATE IV: Politico CEO and President (and former Reagan official) Frederick Ryan donated $1,000 to George W. Bush's presidential campaign in 1999 (earlier this year, as linked above, Bush interrupted his press conference to flamboyantly plug Ryan's Politico). When making that donation to Bush, Ryan listed his occupation as "Allbritton Communications Co." (h/t Casual Observer). Both Joe Allbritton and his wife donated $1,000 each in 1994 to the Republican National Committee.

-- Glenn Greenwald
http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:kjplbg8qbX0J:archive.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/05/04/politico_funding/index.html+Joe+Allbritton,+Bush&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=firefox-a

[Horse with no Name]

1. Here is my contribution

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=230720&mesg_id=230720

[AX10]

2. Of course it's a right wing rag.

Why else would they get so much exposure? If this were a center-left publication, they would not be found in so many places.

[MADem]

3. Joe Albritton was the guy who fucked Bill Maher's show by taking it off HIS affilate ABC channels

He is a mendacious, vicious fucker. Anytime you hear POLITICO, you should think SHIT. Rightwing bullshit.

And say it, too. Early and often. To everyone you meet.

Pass the word--we can't let "The Politico" get away with pretending to be "fer real." They're trying to build cred ahead of the election--don't let them.

That's an instructive link you offered. I urge everyone to read it--we really do need to know thine enemy, and this guy is one of the worst.

[grasswire]

4. it's a total Trojan horse

Meant to insidiously plant stories and shape public opinion. I wish there was a good way to fight it.

[MADem]

21. Just pass the word. Everytime Tweety or any newsperson mentions them,

send them an EMAIL saying ALBRITTON, RIGHTWING, SHILLS...that kind of thing.

That's how Frank Luntz "got gone." Of course, now, Luntz is back, but we need to keep hitting him again and again as well...

[AX10]

5. Can you get links and post them as a seperate thread?

Thanks MADem! :hi:

:kick:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allbritton_Communications_Company

[MADem]

16. If you need to know about Joe Albritton, just click on that link in the OP

There's a ton of info in that. It's massive, the background. Well worth a look.

The Albritton - Maher info is a matter of very public record:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108897/news

ABC's Washington D.C. affiliate, WJLA-TV, has pulled Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect off the air for a second time following a denunciation of Maher's remarks about the Sept. 11 attackers by White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, who on Wednesday called them "a terrible thing to say." Maher, who had agreed with a panelist on his show that the attackers were not cowards but that the U.S. had acted cowardly by sending cruise missiles "from 2000 miles away" to root out terrorists, had later expressed "remorse and regret" for his remarks. A spokesman for the TV station, owned by Albritton Communications, told the Washington Post that Politically Incorrect would remain off the air indefinitely.



This article was written contemporaneously with events--note the snide comments about Maher and his new show: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A17951-2002Nov20?language=printer


I'm not the only one who has noticed either--here's a fellow Dem who sees them for what they are, and is quite irritated with them:
http://supremeirony.blogspot.com/search/label/2008?updated-max=2007-03-27T20%3A20%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=20
This new tact, that the Right Wing Noise Machine appears to be taking, is to create a seemingly genuine news outlet. Pajamas Media flamed out because of the personalities involved. Where The Politico succeeds, is in who are its founders:
Politico is a news web site that will focus on Capitol Hill politics, presidential election campaigns, and Washington lobbying and advocacy groups. It is set to launch in two weeks (Jan. 23) but has made a splash over the last couple of months by hiring the likes of John Harris and Jim VandeHei from the Washington Post, Martin Tolchin from the New York Times, and Mike Allen from Time magazine, among its other stars. The chief financial backer is Albritton Communications.
Albritton Communications is famous for many things. Very notably, getting ABC to can Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect in 2001, and:
We don't think it's a constitutional right of the government to tell us what to do.
--Jerry Fritz, Albritton Communications
This is different than Fox News, or The Washington Times, because they are blatantly partisan. The Politico, despite being funded by a company which obviously supports Republicans, is fronted by individuals who come from news outlets that many people believe to be non-partisan. This affords the site a veneer of legitimacy that sites like Pajamas Media could never create.

So, where does that leave us?

We have a columnist at one of the largest newspapers in the country pushing a story from one of the largest slime merchants, who linked to a story by a supposedly non-partisan political news site, which is attempting to push a narrative about Barack Obama that he is too inexperienced and untrustworthy......

[rusty charly]

6. funny, also, how no one in the M$M mentions

how this blog/website is continuously quoted in print in newspapers? isn't it usually the other way around? i'm constantly running in to POLITICO columns in newspapers.

http://www.wtop.com/?sid=1057292&nid=524

The Politico Roundtable: New Political News Site Will Partner With CBS News

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/21/ftn/main2381362.shtml

http://www.motherjones.com/interview/2007/07/ben_smith.html

"Has anyone who watched CNN noticed recently that people from Politico.com have been appearing on the network far too often? I have noticed that Politico.com is consulted far too often?"

http://www.apoliticalmind.com/what-is-the-deal-with-politicocom/

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=ind_focus.story&STORY=/www/story/06-20-2007/0004612593&EDATE=WED+Jun+20+2007,+11:17+PM

Reagan Library Partners with CNN, the Los Angeles Times and Politico.com for Final GOP Presidential Debate

http://www.latimes.com/services/newspaper/mediacenter/releases/la-mediacenter-2007-0625,0,6967477.story?coll=la-mediacenter-releases

USA TODAY Partners With The Politico.com For 2008 Election Coverage

http://www.usatoday.com/media_kit/pressroom/releases/usat041907.htm

An important new Web news site called Politico.com is joining with UnionLeader.com and the New Hampshire Union Leader for coverage of Washington, D.C., and the presidential campaign. Many Sunday News readers are familiar with their chief political columnist, Roger Simon. Starting today, we will again feature his column as well as other Politico.com content.

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?articleId=06006a35-8b91-4594-a0d5-410677c02cfc

check out the prominence at the NY Observer compared to other political writers who have been there longer (Conason):

http://www.observer.com/politics

That's a lot of partnering for a website that began in January 2007:

"January 23, 2007 at 12:40 PM: The Politico website is now officially up, marking at last the debut of D.C.'s newest heavily-discussed media project."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eat-the-press/2007/01/23/the-politico-opening-day_e_39354.html

[KoKo]

7. Thanks for your links...and "Politico" is quoted and sends their Shills on every Cable Show

more than once a week! It's incredible the coverage they get. One would wonder why NYT and WaPo aren't jealous with the coverage their people get!

[rusty charly]

8. And yet the Daily Kos and it's

hard-earned influence is such an affront! Media people must dissect it to explain to the rabble why their nefarious pull with politicians is so... DANGEROUS!

[NNN0LHI]

14. The reason NYT and WaPo aren't jealous with the coverage their people get is...

...when it comes right down to it they aren't much better. They have let us down over and over again for more than 6 years.

Don

[Vinnie From Indy]

9. Politico is simply an extension of the same corporate media

that has given Americans a steady diet of lies, misinformation and propaganda. There was no doubt in my mind that Politico was created to serve BushCo after Smirky went out of his way to introduce the web site during a press conference under the guise of welcoming a new reporter to the pool.

[scarletwoman]

10. k & r -- good work, KoKo! Thanks very much for posting this! It's important stuff! (nt)

[mb7588a]

11. it's a coloring book, mostly. nt.

[Dinger]

12. I Have Indeed Noticed How They Are Popping Up ALL OVER The "MSM"

And c-spin. It is increasing too. What gives?

[NNN0LHI]

13. I noticed a lot of people citing them here lately

Politico picked up where Talon news and Jeff Gannon/Guckert left off.

Don

[Perky]

15. I understand the Politico Pedigree.....But I have not detected any bias

in their new reporting... It is pretty bloggy as opposed to straight news but theie columnist seemed to hold McCain and Thompson in pretty low regard.

Not saying that bias does not exist on their staff but I have not seen anything approaching Drudge or even the Washington Times.....

[emulatorloo]

17. READ MEDIAMATTERS.ORG analysis of POLITICO -- it is super rightwing;

http://mediamatters.org/issues_topics/search_results?qstring=politico

Some snips

Politico's Allen uncritically quoted McConnell claiming Democratic Congress has "not been very productive"
Wednesday, July 25, 2007 6:18PM

DeLay's Politico column on "failures" of the Democratic Congress rife with falsehoods
Wednesday, July 25, 2007 12:24PM

Politico's Smith charged Clinton "seems to be breaching" a "less-aggression" pact with News Corp.
Sunday, July 22, 2007 4:45PM

Politico uncritically quoted McCain aide accusing Dems of voting not to "fund the troops"
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 3:26PM

[AX10]

20. kick

[librechik]

26. they are careful to fly under the radar, Perky

They keep their bias concealed and are EAGER to portray themselves as objective mainstream types. Yet their subtle bias bleeds through on a daily basis. Check the topic Politico at mediamatters.org for abundant examples of their stealth blogging for the GOP.

[NuttyFluffers]

18. k, POLITICO is RW think tank agit prop. good to know, spread the word.

starting the phone tree as i post...

:hi:

so remember, "POLITICO = :puffpiece: " tell a friend.

[Marr]

19. It was so pathetic the way the whole MSM just jumped all over Politico

when it launched. You'd have thought the launch of a blog was a rare event- they were just so fascinated. Apparently they think they can just pull the same corporate crap with the blogosphere. It's disgusting.

[in_cog_ni_to]

22. Hmmm....I wonder if fascist Friday Brian Lamb had anything to do with the C-SPAN/Politico

affiliation. I understand 2 of his favorite talking heads are BRITT HUME and TIMMY RUSSERT. That tells ME, he's is definitely a repuke. He'll never admit it, but he is.

The circle of corruption is so nice and cozy, isn't it?



JON FRIEDMAN'S MEDIA WEB
C-Span's Brian Lamb is not what you think
Commentary: The 'Joe Friday' of TV news is usually listening to something
By Jon Friedman, MarketWatch
Last Update: 12:01 AM ET Jul 20, 2007


I found it amusing when Lamb griped that he couldn't find a decent TV-news or talk show on the air at five in the morning (I mean, network executives have a tough enough time programming primetime.) But he is satisfied when he can catch Anderson Cooper, Charlie Rose, Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Tucker Carlson, Bill O'Reilly and Neil Cavuto. Brit Hume and Tim Russert remain two of his favorites. "And Oprah!" he said. "She's terrific at what she does."<snip>

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/c-spans-brian-lamb-not-you/story.aspx?guid=%7B00F63C7C-C05E-4AB8-8B2F-AE1BAB62586B%7D

[KoKo]

23. I used to like Brian Lamb...but when Dems were in Power his Conservatism was CHAINED!

Notice how his Friday Show where he hosts C-Span's WJ is now referred to as "RW Fiday with Brian" or "Conservative Freaky Friday with Lamb" by DU'ers who are C-Span watchers.

Brian used to "hide" his bias ...but with RW Corporate Media Controlling the Cables since late 90's (Telecommunications Act under Clinton) he's showing his "TRUE COLORS!"

And that host "Steve" is the most fundie RW Evangelical TOAD in the BUNCH!!! :grr:

[in_cog_ni_to]

25. Don't forget PETER! He's as RW as they come and doesn't even try to hide it.

I think Susan, Rob and Pedro are about as fair as we're going to get on WJ.

[Supersedeas]

24. interesting point...as Tony Fox Snowjob would say