Change we can believe in: Charge the media to cover your events

As if spending your tax cut early wasn’t enough cash for Mr. Obama, he is charging the news media big bucks to cover his hoped-for victory celebration.
The richest campaign in history will begin to educate the nation in how Chicago rolls on election night as follows:

FishbowlLA links to a memo sent to news organizations informing them they would have to pay for credentials to Sen. Barack Obama’s Election Night celebration.
It’s not cheap, either. According to the memo, “credentials will cost $715 to $1,815,” and campaign officials “will be available only in the ‘press file’ tent, to which an additional admission fee of $935 per person is being imposed.”
Maybe they’re trying to keep out the Mayhill Fowler’s of the world? Although we’re guessing at this point Huffington Post can easily foot that bill. Regardless, charging the media to cover election night? It certainly doesn’t seem like a smart PR move.
The negative headlines are already starting to pile up. Writes Chicago Business, “The best-funded political campaign in American history says news organizations will have to pay – in some cases almost $2,000 each – if they want to cover Barack Obama’s election-night celebration in Chicago.”

You gotta pay to play, babay.

7 thoughts on “Change we can believe in: Charge the media to cover your events”

  1. Gavin – thanks for that link, I stand corrected.
    It appears that some of the charge is for access to technology services and thus legit. I am not sure but I will compare the charges tomorrow, it sounds like McCain gives a better deal.

  2. Holden–
    No matter which party wins, I feel safe in telling you that there will be no place for ‘regular Americans’ at their party. Those days are long, long past.

  3. Will there be a special area at the party where they will bring in ‘regular Americans’ to bear witness to The One’s (Peace be upon Him) Coronation? I suppose they would have to sign a statement to affirm that they are not in the plumbing profession.

  4. You pay for a fund raiser, unless now the media will just go ahead and fess up and acknowledge their part in his campaign. He should be paying them…

  5. In the political world, $1,000 is often what it takes to get you into a special dinner. These fees actually don’t sound that outrageous to be a part of such a party. Remember…it’s the party. It’s not the election; it’s not the campaign headquarters when the news has been announced. It’s the post-victory celebration. If it was mine…I’d bar the press completely. I’d feel I deserved one night free of the media hounds.

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