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Show Me the Money

Part 2: Reporting on Television

by Sheila Kaplan

Few television news directors will respond to a story pitch about the evils of the campaign finance system. And who can blame them? Lectures make boring television. But say you have a report revealing the untold story behind a toxic pesticide in baby food, why airplane seats collapse in crashes or what makes Congress let the meat industry keep selling contaminated beef. Suddenly you have their attention.

That’s the essence of the money-and-politics story: how big donations help businesses, and how labor unions and other special interests get what they want from Congress and the administration — often at the expense of the average citizen.

Campaign contributions don’t always yield the kind of result that donors are seeking. Take the now infamous case of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian tribes in 1996. Leaders of the tribes say they were promised that a $107,000 donation to the Democratic National Committee would win them favorable treatment in an Oklahoma land dispute. What they got was lunch — and a refund when a Washington reporter broke the story. But even when the donation doesn’t yield a quid pro quo, if you track it closely, you’ll almost always find a good story.

Step One: Scope Out the
Special Interests in Your Region

Take a look around your city, state and region to determine the best subjects for inquiry. What are the biggest industries? The largest companies? The most active unions? Which businesses seem to be down on their luck — perhaps facing large government fines for some violation of EPA or OSHA regulations — and seeking some intervention by a friendly lawmaker or political party official? What are the most active citizens’ groups?

Once you’ve got the name of your interest group — for example, the timber industry, a major hospital or the AFL-CIO — you must determine if and how it is contributing money. The key here is to remember to check the subject on its own, as part of a trade group it might belong to or a political action committee (PAC) it might support.

To do this you’ll need a PAC directory, available for free from the Federal Election Commission, Public Records Office, 999 E St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20463, (202) 694-1120. Another valuable resource is the annual edition of Washington Representatives, published by Columbia Books, 1212 New York Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20005, (202) 898-0662. Washington Representatives lists the names of the trade groups that are registered to lobby in Washington and biographies of their staffs. It also lists the names of almost every law firm or lobby shop in Washington and the names of its clients — cross-indexed for easy reference.

The most valuable resource these days is the Internet. And the most useful web site on the Internet belongs to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP)/National Library on Money and Politics, a non-profit research group specializing in campaign finance issues (www.crp.org), 1320 19th St., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 857-0044.

There you can look up almost everything you need to know: the names of the PACs, how much money the PACs gave to congressional and presidential candidates, how much money they gave to political parties, and from whom the PAC got its money. The site also lists the recent lobby registrations, so you can type in the name of a company or other special interest in your area and get the name of its registered lobbyists, and how much they were paid. Be forewarned: not all lobbyists bother to register, even though the law requires it. And fees are woefully underreported. Of course, what is reported is better than nothing. (Lawyers who press a client’s case before a regulatory agency, but not with Congress, don’t have to register. But their names are often mentioned in legal trade journals, so it’s worth doing a clip search.)

Another useful part of CRP’s web site is its listing of financial disclosure reports filed each year by members of Congress. These reports list all financial holdings, including real estate and stock trades, as well as the names of businesses, trade groups, or other special interests who took lawmakers on trips to conferences — generally in some posh locale with better weather than Washington’s.

Another option is to contact the FEC directly by tapping into their databases (for a nominal charge).

Step Two: Finding the Money

To continue our examples, let’s take the case of a producer or correspondent for a southeastern station who wants to examine Georgia-Pacific Corp., an influential timber company. First, he or she needs to look up the names of as many local Georgia-Pacific executives as possible. Next, check the Washington Representatives book. For Georgia-Pacific Corp., it lists the names of four big lobby firms on retainer, plus a PAC called the Georgia-Pacific Employees Fund (GPEF).

The reporter should then go to the CRP web site and check the PAC’s contributions. Contributions by individual lobbyists and other Washington office staffers should also be checked, as well as related groups — in this case, the American Forest and Paper Association and the American Paperboard Packaging Environmental Council — which also donate money.

As a matter of fact, FEC records show that Georgia-Pacific’s PAC gave $58,338 to candidates for federal office — mostly to Republicans — from January 1997 through June 1, 1998. The American Forest and Paper Association gave $54,883 during that same period. Records also show that five Georgia-Pacific employees gave another $2,150; the American Paperboard Packaging Environmental Council gave nothing. A review of the American Forest and Paper Association, going back to 1991, shows the trade group and its members gave more than $8 million in campaign contributions through June 1997 — a figure that includes both PAC donations and soft money contributions to political parties.

The reporter researching a hospital should proceed the same way. First, check home office contributors. Then, determine if the hospital has its own lobbyists in Washington and whether these representatives gave anything. Next, check to see whether hospital trade groups or PACs gave donations. Among the possibilities are the American Hospital Association which sponsors the American Hospital Association PAC (AHAPAC), coalitions organized for or against managed care, for more government-funded research, for reduced fines on hazardous-waste disposal, etc. Again, the researcher should check contributions to congressional and presidential candidates, plus soft money contributions to political parties.

There are a few other avenues along the money trail that are worth exploring. Some lawmakers have what are called leadership PACs. These are PACs they raise money for, but use to help their friends rather than to fund their own campaigns. Leadership PACs are important, as lawmakers who are able to dole out money to colleagues tend to gain popularity. Another important venue is the world of charities and foundations. Many lawmakers and/or their spouses start foundations to help one cause or another. Helping these foundations is a good way for a business, trade group, union or other special interest to win the lawmaker’s favor. And because foundations don’t have the same kinds of contribution caps that campaign committees do, donors can give hundreds of thousands of dollars.

For example, Dwayne Andreas, head of Archer Daniels Midland, gave $500,000 to the American Red Cross as soon as Elizabeth Dole signed on as chief. Stanley Ho, a Macao casino magnate looking to expand into the United States, gave $500,000 to the FDR Memorial Foundation, run by a bipartisan group of Congressmen. Under federal election law, Ho is barred from giving to federal races because he is not a citizen. But the foundation gave him a way in. Energy Secretary Hazel O’Leary got in some hot water last year when one Democratic donor said that her aide suggested he make a contribution to Africare, a charity on whose board she serves, in exchange for a meeting. O’Leary and the aide denied the accusation, but the donation was made, and the meeting took place.

It’s also important to track the fundraiser and party circuit: at home, in Washington and at special events such as party retreats and the presidential nominating conventions. These events show how special interests buy access to lawmakers. They’re also a source of great videotape as lawmakers and their corporate or union hosts drink and dine together. What to look for:

• Every year, both Republicans and Democrats have a series of retreats for their top donors. These are events designed to reward big donors with a long weekend of uninterrupted access — sunning in Palm Beach, or skiing in Aspen with members of Congress, administration officials and party leaders. They are run by the main party committees, the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee, and the parties’ congressional committees: the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the GOP counterparts, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. Find out who from your delegation is going and which special interests are picking up the tab.
• The political conventions are the Olympics of influence peddling. The cameras may stay inside the convention hall, but the real action takes place outside, in non-stop fundraisers and fetes paid for by special interests seeking favors from the lawmakers for whom they raise money or otherwise honor. In the past, companies have rented everything from museums to yachts as a means of entertaining influential members of Congress or the administration. Even if you are not covering the event, it’s wise to try to go to gather tape on a home-state industry for later use. ABC chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross did an excellent series on influence-peddling at each of the 1996 conventions — including that by media companies — that is worth tracking down. And, of course, CNN’s Brooks Jackson’s convention stories have set the standard since the first tobacco industry jet flew Congressmen to the festivities.
• All year round, businesses and other special interests who want to show their loyalty to a candidate don’t just give money, they sponsor fundraisers to which they bring dozens of other big donors. If one of your home-state or regional companies is doing this, you should know. The best way to keep posted is to check in regularly with each special interest group’s political opponents and encourage them to tell you when a big fundraiser is coming up. It’s their job to know. Don’t shy away from calling each industry and just asking them. Many are surprisingly open and will even let you stop by for a quick interview.

Step Three: Putting It All Together/
Finding Out What You Have

The first rule of thumb here is this: you can almost never prove a donation is tied to a vote, an intervention in legislation or an administration’s actions. Nobody in his right mind will admit that the contribution influenced his vote, spurred him to intervene with a federal agency or take other action. But the good news is you don’t have to. It’s enough just to lay out the story. Who gave money to whom? What were they seeking? What did they get? What action was taken, or stopped on their behalf? Just show what happened, and let the viewers draw their own conclusions.

In the case of the timber industry, one of the biggest concerns has been the preservation of a government program that has provided them with a $458 million subsidy to build roads for logging. One obvious source of information would be critics of the program — for instance, Senator Richard Bryan (D-Nev.), who dubbed it “food stamps for the timber industry.” Another would be the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (US PIRG), a D.C.-based watchdog groups that issued a report in 1988 criticizing the Forest Service’s timber program as “polluter pork.” And, of course, both Georgia-Pacific Corp. and the trade group will be happy to tell you why they think the program is important.

Some general tips: check in monthly with each of the subjects you identified in section one. Ask them what is on their legislative agenda. What are they trying to accomplish? What are their odds? Who are the lawmakers or agency officials most in their corner? Do they have companies or constituents who are suffering in some way without this legislation? For example, is the group fighting the new rules that relaxed some safety standards in nursing homes? Victims make great television. Get them to find you one. If your subject is a company that is trying to get the government to ease regulations in some area, find out who will suffer if the bill goes through. Consumer groups and environmental groups are great sources of characters for interviews, as are staff members of lawmakers working on the issue.

Other sources to keep up on: read the annual reports for mentions of lawsuits involving government fines, or for notes about government investigations.

Step Four: Get It On the Air
and Make It Sing

After all your research, the challenge is to make this “money and politics” story interesting. Some news directors will use the phrase, “make the package sing.” After all, television is a visual medium and some of what you dream about will not exist on tape when reporting on this beat. Don’t despair. Rely on your creativity.

Clearly, you’ll want to show the strongest video early on. If this is a package in the evening newscast under three minutes, grab the viewer quickly. Write crisply, bring that viewer into the concert hall...remember, the viewer has to hear this package “sing.”

Always show the relevance of stories relating to campaign finance. If it’s a fundraiser among local political fat cats, some of the best video might be of the reporter getting “kicked out” or being “denied access” at the door. Always keep the tape rolling, photographers!

What you cannot show with available videotape, show with interesting graphics. Bring in all departments of your station to produce good television. Don’t take for granted the knowledge of your sales staff who meet frequently with business leaders at local Chamber of Commerce mixers. Station managers may even hold frequent tee times with someone of influence whom you may be profiling. Check this out...get clearance and keep up ongoing communications with news managers.

Bottom line...make this a television package that prompts viewers to want more — just like the singing at a good concert.

Step Five: Be Sensible, Protect Yourself

Laws on privacy and other related issues vary from state to state, and reporters and producers need to be sure they fully understand the laws where they broadcast and report. As with any sensitive subject, reporters and producers have to take care to make sure they aren’t making inferences that are slanderous or cannot be backed up in court. With such stories, it may be that your station’s policies call for your legal department’s scrutiny; that may be a wise measure.

Sheila Kaplan is a Washington, D.C. writer and documentary film producer. Reach her at shekaplan@aol.com.

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