A new complaint filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission alleges that a national network of local media websites must register as a political committee because of its ties to a Democratic-aligned group.
Courier Newsroom, which includes seven news sites concentrated in presidential swing states, is backed by ACRONYM, a politically active nonprofit run by Democratic strategist Tara McGowan.
Federal election laws and regulations do not apply to media outlets unless they are “owned or controlled by” a political party, committee or candidate and are acting as a media outlet rather than a political one.
But the complaint, filed by Americans for Public Trust, a watchdog group affiliated with former Nevada attorney general Adam Laxalt, a Republican, alleges that Courier Newsroom is not eligible for that exemption and that the media group failed to register as a political group and report its donors and expenses as is required of political groups under federal law.
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The complaint points to a June 2019 ACRONYM internal memo, in which McGowan wrote that the group was launching a “for-profit digital media company building out online news properties in seven 2020 battleground states” of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Arizona.
In the memo, McGowan warned that Democrats are “losing the media war” online to the Republican Party and to President Trump’s campaign, and laid out her plan for Courier Newsroom to counter that GOP advantage.
“Building this media content network — majority owned by ACRONYM — will: Enable Democrats to compete with Republican echo chambers online; Build nimble communications infrastructure for Dems in critical states; Reach voters with strategic narratives + information year-round; Make cyclical investments in paid advertising more cost-efficient + effective over time,” according to the
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Last Edited by I miss SIZZLER on 09/06/2020 03:18 AM
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