Since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling in 2010, the broadcast networks have been whining about corporate influence in politics — but not right now.
The media often attack the conservative Koch brothers for “trying to influence the political process.” They similarly complained that the Supreme Court was “opening the floodgates for big money” when the Citizens United ruling allowed businesses to make unlimited political donations.
But now that elected officials in Georgia and North Carolina have been silenced by corporate pressure, the broadcast networks have reversed course. Rather than being upset by the influence of corporations, broadcast news reports have heralded it.
After more than 100 companies, including NBC’s parent companies, threatened to boycott Georgia, North Carolina and Mississippi over new religious freedom laws, the media dropped their opposition to “big corporate money,” and supported the “growing backlash” from America’s “big businesses.”