The Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper is using it's online news site, Cleveland.com to host a blog for Ken Blackwell.
For 3 days in a row now they have posted, without disclaimer or editing campaign material from Ken Blackwell, including links to his campaign website, campaign emails, campaign logos and pictures taken by campaign staff. The blog posts are written by Blackwell's internet communications director.
This appears to be a significant in kind contribution from a corporation, with no disclaimer in direct violation of Ohio election law.
more blow the bump
You can
view Ken Blackwell's blog at the plain dealer here.
I intend to lodge a formal complaint with the Ohio elections commission, they detail the process for doing so here.
I need some legal help to dig out the relevant code as part of this complaint.
Also, you can feel free to contact the plain dealer here and lodge your complaints with them too.
Doug Clifton - dclifton@plaind.com
Jean Dubail (editor of Open) - open@plaind.com
The PD and Cleveland.com are separate entites/corporations, but owned by the same company. however, it is HIGHLY likely that PD paid staff (Clifton, Larkin, Naymik) made the decision to host these blogs, thus making it collusion between TWO corporations to make this illegal contribution AND they have to have coordinated with Blackwell's campaign in order to get the material.
in other words, there could possibly be a criminal conspiracy statute, i.e., conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws, between TWO corporations and Blackwell's campaign