Letters to the editor

Letters to the Daily News Editor
Posted: June 27, 2012

RE: CITIZENS UNITED.

The Daily News once again condemns political speech by corporations, and would have us believe that no corporation was allowed to express any political views until the Citizens United decision unleashed the demons of corporate opinion on all of us.

In fact, prior to Citizens United, there were a number of corporations that enjoyed unlimited political-speech rights. Philadelphia Media Network Inc., which owns the Daily News, was one of them. In fact, every corporation that owned a newspaper or a radio or TV station was allowed to say whatever it wished, whenever it wished. Other corporations, however, could not. The major effect of the Citizens United case was simply to level that playing field.

Oddly, or perhaps not so oddly, the Daily News regularly expresses its disapproval of Citizens United without ever revealing its private, selfish interest in the controversy, which is to restore the previous monopoly on corporate political speech to media corporations like itself. If Citizens United were to be reversed, as this newspaper wishes, would the DN be willing to accept limits on its own right to comment on political issues? If not, the paper's position on this issue is far from disinterested or principled. It is merely self-serving.

Let us cut through the usual dreary rhetoric about "billionaires" and the "super-rich" who "buy themselves a candidate," and ask some simpler questions. First, why should corporations like Philadelphia Media Network Inc., CBS and the New York Times be permitted to pummel us daily with their political views while Monsanto and Target and BP must be completely silent? And second, when did political speech in America, by anyone, become something that must be suppressed? What an strange attitude for a newspaper to adopt.

Michael Kubacki

Philadelphia

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