Journalists covering the 2016 election may be unknowingly donating to Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, creating a conflict of interest rarely disclosed by media groups.
Politico reported Tuesday:
The donations occur through the 700,000-member Communications Workers of America—the umbrella union for guild journalists at the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and other papers, as well as for many TV and communications workers. The CWA has been one of Bernie Sanders’ biggest contributors throughout his Washington career, records show. In December, following a vote by its members, the union endorsed the avowed socialist in his contest with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.
The union has donated $8.7 million to Democratic federal candidates, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. 97 percent of the group's money goes toward Democrats, Politico reported, citing data from Open Secrets.
While news media make up only a small portion of the CWA, Politico noted that many reporters who are critical of dark money and have ties to the union appeared unmoved by the connection.
The union's spending far exceeds expenditures by the Koch Foundation. Since 1990, CWA has spent $44.2 million in total, donating $43.8 percent of those funds to Democrats, according to data from Open Secrets. This figure is nearly 1.5 times greater than the $29.5 million spent by Koch during that time, Politico noted.
CWA has donated $15,000 to Clinton versus $13,500 to Sanders in the current election, despite the group’s endorsement of the self-described Democratic socialist.
The union also represents workers in "telecommunications and information technology, the airline industry, education, health care and public service, law enforcement, and manufacturing," according to its site.