CEO of media giant who sought to gag reporters has deep political pockets

Time Warner CEO, who sought to gag Scalia event, has deep GOP roots
RAW STORY

A second look: CEO of media giant who sought to gag reporters has deep political pockets

Chairman and chief executive of media juggernaut Time Warner Richard Parsons, who barred a conversation with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia from being on the record, cut a massive $25,000 check to the Republican National Committee in 2004, and according to Newsmeat.com has given $119,750 to Republican candidates and just $12,000 to Democrats.

Parsons tried to impose a "gag order" on a public interview of Scalia conducted by Norman Pearlstein, Time's editor in chief, Nov. 21. Various publications, including the New York Daily News, flaunted the order; the News' Lloyd Grove poked at the gag by presenting Scalia's comments as hypothetical remarks -- thereby not actually violating the off-the-record agreement.

"What possessed Time Warner--whose choice subsidiaries are in the business of getting Washington's most powerful minds on the record--to stage this farce?" Shafer wrote.

Shafer continued:

"For whose benefit was the interview conducted? Obviously not for reporters, who were barred from divulging its contents. As one in a series of talks that included Pearlstine interviews with Karl Rove and Bill Clinton, was the primary aim to increase Time magazine's 'buzz'?"

"What businessmen were invited, and why? How many were advertisers or potential advertisers, whom Time Warner wanted to impress by arranging a private recital by one of Washington's hottest tickets?"
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