USA Today Reports New Ad Campaign Against Koch Brothers Without Mentioning Ties to Harry Reid

August 26th, 2012 8:25 AM

As NewsBusters previously reported, the New York Times informed readers Wednesday about a nonprofit group's new ad campaign attacking the Koch brothers, but chose to withhold the organization's ties to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

On Friday, USA Today did the same thing:

Charles and David Koch each have nearly 10 times the money amassed by TV superstar Oprah Winfrey, but none of her fame.

This election could change that — as the conservative mega-donors ramp up their political activity, and liberal groups set out to target them as greedy oil billionaires, seeking to influence the election to help their bottom line. [...]

This week, a liberal non-profit, Patriot Majority, launched what it said will be a multimillion-dollar campaign targeting the Kochs over what the group called the brothers' "greed agenda."

The first phase was a $500,000 cable television ad buy that charges the Kochs and their "special-interest friends" will spend $400 million to "buy this year's elections and advance their agenda."

Notice there's nothing regarding what NewsBusters reported Tuesday about Patriot Majority (via Politico):

Patriot Majority’s ads, which will air nationally on CNN and MSNBC, are part of a campaign called “Stop The Greed Agenda,” which will be supplemented by a website, direct mail and online ads — all directed at the Kochs, for now.

“We’re going to take them on,” said Craig Varoga, president of Patriot Majority. His group, which spent more than $10 million boosting Reid during his tough 2010 Senate reelection campaign in Nevada, is the nonprofit arm of Majority PAC, the super PAC assisted by Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, and other Senate Democrats.


So, in the span of roughly 48 hours, two of America's leading newspapers reported a liberal organization launching a campaign against two of the country's wealthiest businessmen without mentioning the group's ties to the second-highest ranking Democrat in the nation.

Exactly why did both of these news outlets feel this was unimportant?

Also missing in both reports was Patriot Majority's possible link to billionaire George Soros.

I guess USA Today and the Times don't find it interesting that one billionaire could be spending his own money to trash another.

It seems a metaphysical certitude this wouldn't be the case if the Kochs had launched a campaign to smear Soros, doesn't it?