News Corp. Will Disclose Its Political Donations

Source: The New York Times

Beginning this summer, the News Corporation, the media company controlled by Rupert Murdoch, will announce each year all the political contributions it has made.

The move comes after the company was highlighted for donating $1.25 million to the Republican Governors Association and $1 million to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ahead of the midterm elections last year.

Critics of the company seized on the donations — which were made public only in news reports — as evidence of bias on the part of the News Corporation, which owns the Fox News Channel and The Wall Street Journal, and Mr. Murdoch, who has long been a supporter of conservative causes.

The News Corporation said at the time that the company’s corporate side had made the donations with no involvement by its news operation, and that the gifts would not have any impact on newsgathering operations. Still, the Democratic Governors Association argued that during the election season, Fox’s coverage of governors and campaigns should include disclaimers about the donations.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/business/media/15newscorp.html

Legally you would think they would be required to, after all it does taint them if they arent honest about such a thing.