So says The Washington Examiner’s Mark Tapscott, based on numbers given to him by the Center For Responsive Politics. This isn’t really news — it just confirms what we’ve known for well over a decade. Still, it’s interesting to look at the details:
The Democratic total of $1,020,816 was given by 1,160 employees of the three major broadcast television networks, with an average contribution of $880.
By contrast, only 193 of the employees contributed to Republican candidates and campaign committees, for a total of $142,863. The average Republican contribution was $744.
The data on contributions by broadcast network employees was compiled by CRP at the request of The Examiner and included all 2008 contributions by individuals who identified their employer as one of the three networks or subsidiaries … President Obama received 710 such contributions worth a total of $461,898, for an average contribution of $651 from the network employees. Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain received only 39 contributions totaling $26,926, for an average donation of $709.
Ironically, Tapscott’s research was inspired by Democrat activist Nathan Daschle, who demanded last week that Fox News air disclaimers during its news broadcasts, after it was revealed that Fox’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, gave $1 million to the Republican Governor’s Association.
There has been no word yet on whether Daschle will now demand similar disclaimers from MSNBC, CNN, CBS, or NPR.
