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Garrison Keillor to Host Obama Campaign Fundraiser

Logan Churchwell  —   February 21, 2012
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While some conservative leaning blogs are beginning to grumble that a popular NPR personality is hosting a fundraiser for the Obama campaign this week, POLITICO and other outlets carrying the original Minnesota Public Radio report are only skimming the surface of a long overlooked history of financial support. According to Federal Election Commission reports, NPR host Garrison Keillor has given $170,279 in soft money, political committee and joint fundraising contributions since 2000.

Some favorite contribution targets include:

DNC Services Corporation/Democratic National Committee

11/3/2006            2,500.00

1/25/2001            1,000.00

7/13/2001            1,000.00

10/11/2011         2,000.00

11/16/2011         1,000.00

1/25/2010            10,000.00

7/19/2010            1,000.00

10/27/2000         1,000.00

8/17/2004            500.00

9/1/2004              1,000.00

9/14/2006            5,000.00

10/27/2011         29,000.00

Obama for America

1/16/2008            200.00

5/25/2011            2,000.00

8/4/2011              500.00

8/4/2011              1,500.00

8/13/2008            2,300.00

10/27/2011         1,000.00

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

10/29/2004         10,000.00

10/26/2007         500.00

11/20/2007         250.00

11/30/2009         1,000.00

7/29/2010            10,000.00

11/16/2011         950.00

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)

8/31/2006            1,000.00

6/30/2007            500.00

10/16/2008         258.00

2/11/2011            520.00

5/31/2010            2,500.00

9/15/2011            2,500.00

The list goes on and on. Lisa Simeone and Michele Norris were both removed from their respective posts for violating NPR’s code of ethics in 2011 after disclosing involvement with political groups. Though Keillor is not on NPR’s news staff, this is further confirmation of NPR’s political leaning. How National Public Radio will weather these challenges to their objectivity in the face of potential federal funding bans remains to be seen.

h/t Politicons


About the author
Logan Churchwell
Logan Churchwell is the AIM Director of Public Relations & Online Development. He previously served in various media relations and public affairs capacities on Capitol Hill and in political campaigns.



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  • Bill

    Garrison Keillor does not work for NPR (national public radio). Never has. It is not an NPR program.
    Any comparisons to NPR’s policies are irrelevant.

  • Harry

    Such Accuracy… In Media!
    NPR can’t fire Keillor ’cause he doesn’t work for them.
    Just simple fact checking might have worked here…how accurate can your other facts be?

  • Dad

    Dear (IN)Accuracy In Media,

    Mr. Keillor is a small business person. His company sells his program to American Public Media. He employs a number of people, and probably makes a nice sum for himself. Since he actually earns his income, he has to pay taxes at the standard rate, and doesn’t get the benefits of carried interest. He’s chosen to exercise his free speech right to support political causes.

    Shame on him. Let’s tar, feather him, and then drag him behind a snowmobile across frozen Lake Wobegon.

  • Charles

    I am all for questioning the overwhleming left wing bias in public radio, but it must be done accurately.

    Keillor works for Prairie Home Productions, which sells the program for distribution through Public Radio International. But the program is linked on the NPR.org home page.

    Lisa Simeone did violate the (old) NPR ethics code, and her story was widely reported.

    Michelle Norris was, to my knowledge, never suspended from anything, nor disciplined for any personal ethical lapse. What happened with her, is that her attorney husband has been a lobbyist and governmental affiars attorney for a long time. Quite simply, he’s a player in the Obama camp and in Democratic politics. Last year, he accepted a formal position with the Obama ’12 campaign. And so (nearly coincidental with the publication of her own book) Michelle Norris took a leave from All Things Considered to avoid any appearance of impropriety. In 2008, her position had been that she would simply not do any campaign-related stories.

    So those are important details. Still, there are about a hundred other stories of public radio staff (you need to be very careful about labeleing anyone “NPR”), from Kaitlin Curran (WNYC freelancer) to Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!/Pacifica) engaging in crazy left-wing protests. You really start to wonder whether anyone at public radio has ever gotten in trouble for getting mixed up in a conservative/Republican campaign, and I am unaware of any. Of course you then begin to wonder whtether there are any conservatives at all at NPR, and if so who the heck they might be.

    Are there any conservative program hosts or porducers in public radio at all? Who are they? Are there any conservatives at NPR? Who? Who are the conservative voices, who might balance Keillor, Terry Gross, Ira Glass, Bob Garfield, Brooke Gladstone, Tavis Smiley, Nina Totenberg, Amy Goodman, etc.?

  • Lisa Simeone

    Sorry, but you’ve gotten important elements of the story wrong.

    1. Prairie Home Companion is NOT an NPR show. NPR doesn’t produce — and has never produced — Prairie Home Companion. Garrison Keillor has his own independent production company that produces the show, and the show is distributed by another public radio network, APM, American Public Media. It is carried on many NPR-member stations, but it has nothing to do with NPR.

    2. I was not an employee of NPR when I was fired from Soundprint — another non-NPR show. NPR did, however, make a big deal out of my involvement in the Occupy movement and tried to get WDAV to fire me. WDAV produces World of Opera (formerly called NPR World of Opera, even though it wasn’t produced by NPR). NPR didn’t fire me because I wasn’t an NPR employee. I continue to host World of Opera — and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra series — both of which are carried on public radio stations.

    3. Michele Norris has not lost her job with NPR; on the contrary, she’s still collecting her salary. She merely stepped aside from hosting All Things Considered while her husband is working on Obama’s campaign.

    4. NPR picks and chooses which employees it allows to “violate” its code of ethics. Scott Simon has written several pro-war and other political op-eds for national publications while keeping his (highly paid) job as an NPR news host; Mara Liasson opines on Fox TV while continuing to be an NPR news reporter; Cokie Roberts collects tens of thousands of dollars in speaking fees from corporations yet still works for NPR.

    5. Not only Garrison Keillor but also Tavis Smiley is allowed to promote political causes with no apparent problem for NPR, APM, PRI, or the hundreds of public radio stations around the country.

    In short, all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.