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[Me#1You#10]

Media Apply Double Standard When Examining '527' Groups
Posted Sep 10, 2004
by Benjamin L. Ginsberg
Human Events Online
The National Conservative Weekly

Think you're getting unbiased, balanced coverage of politics? Or is there a double standard in the way the media treat Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives? My recent visit to the center of a media storm suggests there is.

Consider this: A $500,000 ad buy made by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth brings searing media scrutiny and "proof" of illegal coordination based on a lawyer (me) representing both the Bush-Cheney campaign and the Swift Boat Veterans; on an accountant working for Tom DeLay's political action committee; and on a $200,000 contributor to the group who is not a major donor to Bush-Cheney 2004 but who does know Karl Rove.

Meanwhile, the media give practically no scrutiny to a $63-million, five-month, negative-ad buy done by Democratic "527" groups (the Media Fund, MoveOn.org and others) with a revolving door of connections to the Kerry campaign.
Mr. Ginsberg, a partner in the Patton Boggs law firm in Washington, D.C., formerly served as chief outside counsel to the Bush presidential campaign. Before becoming a lawyer, he worked five years as a newspaper reporter. A version of this article appeared in the Washington Post.

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