Campaign Donors: Television Media

• After sponsoring legislation that talked tough on exposing children to adult media, Lieberman sponsored much weaker legislation in 2003 during his Presidential campaign. “Purveyors of Porn” followed with campaign contributions.

• In 2001, Lieberman, along with Sens. Hilary Clinton and Herb Kohl, proposed the Media Marketing Accountability Act of 2001. The bill gave the Federal Trade Commission regulatory power over the film, music and video game industries that the senators had argued “failed to curb the marketing of violent and sexually oriented fare to those under age 17.” (Daily News of Los Angeles, 4/27/01)

• In 2003, Lieberman backed off of his proposal for FTC regulation, instead co-sponsoring “far less stringent” legislation that created a study on the health effects of media on children. The bill established a program within the National Institutes of Health to fund the studies. (Associated Press, 4/9/03)

• Cable and satellite television providers, in addition to hotel chains that Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington called “Porn Purveyors,” contributed $16,500 to Lieberman in the 2004 election cycle. The companies had made no contributions to Lieberman in 2001 and 2002. (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, “Addicted to Porn,” 3/10/05)