Obama Campaign To Charge News Outlets For Election Night Coverage

Chicago Sun-Times:

WASHINGTON---The Obama campaign is putting a hefty price tag on the best camera and reporting positions for news organizations covering Barack Obama's outdoor election night activities in downtown Chicago. If a reporter wants access to the file center--which will be the best place to find Obama officials and spokesmen--be prepared to write a check for $935. The cheapest place a reporter could stand on a riser with a view is $880.

That $935 covers one reporter in a heated file tent, power, cable tv, internet and food. I am told by an Obama spokesman who did not want his name used that this just covers costs and they are not turning a profit on this. The planners could have built in more al a carte options for Grant Park coverage.

This is an outrageous pay to play plan that caters to national elite outlets with deep pockets.

Read the whole story: Chicago Sun-Times

Comments

[LouHobbs]

A spot on the riser with a view: $880.

Riser view with power, cable tv, internet and food: $935

Watching Obama win big: Priceless.

[AdV2k1]

uuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh O---------K

this makes no sense to me. Boggles the mind

[LiquidJak]

Read the comments. It makes perfect sense.

[TrumanHugh]

If you read the original comments on Lynn's blog page, you wonder how Obama is doing as well as he is in the polls. Every comment there is calling this VERY STANDARD PRACTICE--McCain is doing it, too, assuming he can find anyone to show up--a sham, "whoring," and "showing the true character of Obama." (Just to name a few...)

Come on, Lynn, where's the sentence--dare not expect a whole paragraph--explaining that this is standard operating procedure for such events?!?

[pointyheadprodigy]

This strikes me as wrong. This is troubling.

[butterworth]

This is not unusual, Lynn's blog was just written in such a way as to make readers with no knowledge of how this stuff works think that this is something new and/or shady.

[Ethics101]

And the site monitors of her article totally shut out any + for O.

[Jason404]

Why? Have you any idea how much one of these crews in a prime spot will be charging for syndication to other agencies in their countries??

[sharonrj50]

WHY IS IT TROUBLING IF YOU HAD DONE WHAT THIS DEMOCRAT DONE AND RESEARCHED THIS THUG IT WOULD NOT SURPRISE YOU I AM JUST SUPRISED THAT HE HAS DONE IT BEFORE HE WON. HE FEELS HE DOES NOT NEED THE PRESS ANYMORE HE HAS ALREADY WON OR SO HE THINKS EVEN WITH ACORNS HELP HE WILL NOT WIN

[Jason404]

If you take the principle of Supply and Demand, and consider the number of news agencies in the entire world, they could easily have charged a lot more. These prices are very reasonable, and this whole story is stupid.

[honeydiva]

Lynn keep your a^^ home. he doesn't like you anyway.

[ObamaProud]

Are you guys really defending the media on this?

Installing a suite of custom electric circuits and high speed internet terminals is not a cheap thing to do. I know... I'm an IT professional. Then there are IT costs, hundreds of professionals to keep it running smoothly, etc.

Where does this money come from? Should it just be a free ride for anyone who wants to take without paying for their services?

Personally, I think $1000 is a freaking bargain.

[Jason404]

Yeah, anybody that thinks this is so unusual are not thinking of what is involved. The plane tickets for the media crews will cost many times this alone, let alone hotel fees. $1000 is peanuts.

[honeydiva]

you know the trolls come out on stuff like this. please she's hardly objective and she really hopes he loses. sh'e's always trying to start stuff...i can't stand her.

[PlainBread]

They accuse him for being a socialist, now when he's charging them in a good bargain (acting like a capitalist) they also complain.

Quit complaining, media, like we don't know how much you got paid from the lobbyists.

[NuOrigin]

Some of the comments on that page included people who leaned on Obama for not including his small doners in the tent. I agree. If Obama doesn't allow all 3 million of us in that tent, he is showing his true character!

[lnwill]

This story makes no sense without some idea of what is usually charged for the same services. I did a web search to find out what fees usually are and if the McCain campaign has a similiar policy but I could not find any other information

[bygollymissmolly]

And the reason why the Obama campaign should absorb the cost to make the press comfortable is?

If they don't want to pay their own way then the don't need to attend the party. There is no way I want my campaign contributions going to cow-tow to the press who have been in the tank for McCain and have done a horrible job at objective reporting.

[watchTVgetSTUPID]

Get ready for the non stop attack campaign if Obama does not eliminate the fees and the associated catering. Expect the following attacks:

1. Pay for access to government. This is why Wall street insiders got $700 billion in virtually unmarked bills to bail out their well connected friends. Meanwhile the people see the economy nosedive in spite of the banker bailout. This arrogant attitude is the root of what went wrong and cronyism must be stopped at all costs.

2. Abromoff sold insider influence by paying Bush and this is more of the same. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. McCain would never do this.

3. Government for sale to the highet bidder. When it comes to change, what a hypocrite

4. When was the last time the press had to pay off the president to be allowed outside the bike rack barriers? Never. What next? The pissed off press will use their imagination to create a plausable sounding nightmare.

5. Elitism that people recognize and get mad about.

6. All about Obama, If you do not come bearing a $900 bribe, then you are kept outside the gate with the other victims of bad government.

7. Forget about what he said, actions speak louder than words. The real Obama finally showed up and you have been had. You are not invited unless you pay for access. Your interests will not be considered unless you bring money

8. etc etc

[butterworth]

Do you watch a lot of TV?

[Ethics101]

Flagged as uninformed.

[xekrator]

OH, NOW they squeal like a stuck pig? it's been "Pay To Play" politics as usual for the past 24 months as this godawful campaign has stumbled and lurched and kvetched along, but now when it hits their precious prestige and pocketbook, they get all grumpy. Keep the double-standard stuff down to a muffled whimper, and we'll all get along just fine, thank you. What has been SOP for the past 231 years, won't hurt for another election cycle.

[Insha]

Um, why is this news? This is standard practice. Journalists don't ride for free on either nominees planes, they purchase tickets. They also find their own room and board etc etc.

Again, why is this news?

[grumpygranny66]

Thank you Insha.

[obamagal]

Anything to malign Obama, that's why it's news.... Make him look greedy (good GOP ploy - they're experts at it) in light of Obama's big September figures.

[folksonomy]

Well, that's what I was thinking when I read the headline...it's kind of misleading. The fees not only for access but for the IT portions seem pretty reasonable. I work in IT and it take more than just a CAT5 ethernet cable and a jack to make it all work.

[sharonrj50]

LOOK AT YOUR HISTORY THEY DO NOT PAY FOR COVERAGE IT REALLY DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THIS MAN DOES PEOPLE ARE STILL GOING TO FOLLOW HIM RIGHT OFF INTO THE ABYSS. JUST WAIT AND YOU REMEMBER I TRIED TO WARN YOU HE IS GOING TO WITH PELOSI, REID, SCHUMER, FRANK, DODD, DESTROY THIS COUNTRY.

[furryone]

the campaign is making PRIME space and services available to the press...I certainly don't think it would be legal to use campaign contributions to provide satin butt cushions to fixed news, et al, and the Obamas are NOT billionarires like certain Stepford Wife beer tycoon daughters...
as for the picture, BFD! he has his arm up, as I know most everyone in the world has done at least once in their lifetime---it is a shame the huffpo decided to run the pic and insinuate some "ism" garbage---is mayflower back on the staff? :-P

[rose1234]

This report was filed by Lynn Sweet, not the most objective of journalists. I want to wait and see if this is going to be verified by other news sources. And if true, I too do not want my contributions going to the press. All the money is needed to elect Obama/Biden. Stay focused, don't be distracted.

[honeydiva]

she's fos.

[total frizz]

The media makes money publishing stories that sell magazines, newspapers, and airtime. Why shouldn't they pay their expenses? Why should the campaign (and its donors - you and I) pay for media coverage? Come on. Quitcherbellyaching!