M.A.P.: Half-True: MTM Omits King Super-PAC Support In Key Article
Outlet: Maine Today Media
Date: June 13, 2012
Topic: U.S. Senate Race
Author: Tom Bell
Analysis: Half-True – Omits critical information
Omission of Super-PAC Support of King Leaves Readers With Half-Story
Portland – On June 13, 2012, the Maine Today Media Newspapers ran a story headlined “Angus King to opponents: No super PAC money”.
Unfortunately, Maine Today Media failed to disclose in their story that King is currently the only candidate for U.S. Senate receiving support from a Super-PAC.
As recorded by the FEC, the Super-PAC IcPurple, funded by the billionaire founder of Gateway Computers Ted Waitt has produced a television ad to support King’s candidacy and has run online ads driving traffic to the IcPurple.com website to support King’s run for U.S. Senate.
In total, the FEC reports that as of June 13, 2012, IcPurple had reported $23,668 in expenditures to support Angus King for U.S. Senate.
To his credit, in the letter to his new general election opponents, which Maine Today Media included as a sidebar to the article on their website, King did partially disclose that he was the beneficiary of Super-PAC support with this quote, “In fact one of these groups has already sprung up and created an ad on my behalf in this election.”
Unfortunately, King’s partial disclosure did nothing to spur Maine Today Media to fully investigate and report to readers a more complete picture of the Super-PAC landscape in the U.S. Senate race.
For this reason, the Media Accountability Project rates this article HALF TRUE via the ommission of critical information.
Read or download the full report with sources here.
