Fox News Is Among Top 10 Clinton Donors-Misleading!
Summary of eRumor:
Fox News has been one of the top 10 largest donors to Bill and Hillary Clinton since 1992.
The Truth:
This one is partially true, but it’s also misleading.
Parent companies of Fox News — 21st Century Fox and News Corp — have been major donors to Bill and Hillary Clinton’s political and philanthropic activities over the years, but the Fox News Group is just one of many media holdings under the company.
Fox News wouldn’t have had any say in how its parent companies make contributions, and it’s not uncommon for businesses to donate to candidates and causes on both sides of the aisle.
The rumor that Fox News has been one of the top 10 largest donors to Bill and Hillary Clinton started in early July of 2015 as Hillary Clinton ramped up her presidential campaign.
The rumor claims that 21st Century Fox/News Corp has donated more than $3 million to Clinton family accounts over the years, making it one of the Clintons’ top donors.
It’s not clear where that $3 million figure comes from, but it appears to include political donations made to the Clintons, as well as donations made to the Clinton Foundation.
Throughout her career, Hillary Clinton has received a total of $302,400 in political contributions from 21st Century Fox. That puts the media company 14th on Hillary Clinton’s list of all-time biggest donors.
In the 2008 election cycle, 21st Century Fox donated $193,500 to Hillary Clinton’s campaign. That was enough to make it the campaign’s 12 largest donor, according to financial records.
When it comes to the Clinton Foundation, the News Corporation Foundation (News Corp was the parent company of Fox News before a spinoff landed TV holdings under 21st Century Fox) has donated as much as $1 million to the foundation.
James Murdoch, the COO of 21st Century Fox and son of Rupert Murdoch, has donated up to $5 million to the Clinton Foundation.
But, again, it’s misleading to say that Fox News is one of the Clinton’s top 10 largest donors because the network doesn’t control the political and philanthropic contributions made by its parent company or executives.
And, when it comes to media conglomerates like 21st Century Fox, it’s not uncommon for them to make large political contributions to candidates on both sides of the aisle to protect their business interests, 21st Century Fox explains:
The government plays a significant role in how our business operates. From broadcast regulations to online advertising and intellectual property protection, legislators at both the state and federal levels have proposed numerous changes in public policy in these areas—some of which would help our industry, and some of which would limit our ability to achieve our goals. 21st Century Fox is active in the public policy process protecting the interests of our employees and shareholders. 21st Century Fox’s Political Action Committee —FOX PAC — is an integral component of our government relations strategy, which also includes grassroots communications and direct lobbying. These three elements work together to carry our message to Congress and to state office holders. The FOX PAC is a non-partisan PAC. Its focus is helping to elect quality men and women, regardless of political party, who are dedicated to providing leadership in public service and promoting sound public policy. FOX PAC is funded by voluntary contributions from eligible employees of the company, and is used to make contributions at the federal level and in states where allowed.
So, this one is partially true — but more so misleading.