• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, August 23, 2023

Even wealthy political candidates need plenty of earned-media exposure -- press and news coverage, interviews -- in order to compete. It's something advertising money can’t buy. 

Candidates might do this with news organizations. But these are separate negotiations.

There should never be a connection between the two -- or the perception is that it can taint or influence its news coverage.

Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says there was an attempt by Newsmax to do this, according to a report in Semafor.

The claim: That the conservative-minded Newsmax told his campaign that perhaps he should just buy some TV advertising time -- to get some news coverage. Yikes!

Supposedly this was the message from Chris Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax Media. Supposedly Ramaswamy also had been complaining that the network was sticking him on low viewer-level midday programming.

No way, says Newsmax. A representative issued this statement: “Newsmax has never requested that any candidate buy ads for news coverage... Chris categorically denies that the conversation took place the way it is being portrayed. “

“We have consistently covered all of the major and minor candidates, a number of whom have spent nothing with the network,” said the representative. “If candidates want to reach our audience outside of our programming, advertising is a good way for them to do this.”

Newsmax also says Ramaswamy has continued to be on its network with news coverage, as have other candidates who do not advertise. 

This comes down to firmly believing in the “church and state” concept -- that is, keeping journalism firmly away from the business side of a news publication.

Mistakes can happen. Things can be misheard. Parties typically might need to come to some understanding of what can -- or cannot -- be done.  

Upstanding news media organizations go on about this with religious zeal. This is the only way it works. Even the hint of such a connection can demolish a news media organization's reputation.

Quid Pro Quo. Get this for that. The business world operates as such -- as well as the political world when it comes to fund-raising, a large part of which goes to marketing of political candidates -- especially with TV messaging.

Sometimes bigger-than-life on-air news network personalities can be confused.

In 2018, during the midterm elections, Fox’s Sean Hannity appeared onstage at a Trump campaign rally for political candidates. 

Was that a good idea? Fox News Channel then “censured” Hannity for that move.

Appearances like that can "monetize" any campaign -- giving, for example, a political rally value that it might not have had.

Edging to that "church and state" line in other ways?