Maine television station WGME, Channel 13, has again been swept up in a national media ethics controversy after its corporate parent apparently directed it to publish and publicize a news story on its website that promotes President Trump’s campaign merchandise.
Over the past five days, WGME and at least 20 other stations owned by the conservative Sinclair Broadcasting Group published nearly identical versions of the story which reports how the Trump campaign has started selling a new version of its red “Make America Great Again” hats, including a catalog-like description of the product and its price….The story probably wouldn’t have to be reported as a campaign contribution under current federal campaign finance law, says campaign finance legal expert Richard Hasen, a professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine. “It wouldn’t be a contribution unless it was being done in coordination with a campaign, and even if it counts as a contribution, there’s an exemption for the media engaged in a bona fide news story,” Hasen said. “So someone could file a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission arguing this wasn’t a bona fide news story, but it would take them a few years to figure it out.”