Petrelis Files

Miers' TX Ethics Commish Files; Time OK John Cloud Funds Pol

When President Bush nominated good buddy Harriet Miers to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court, bloggers and reporters were quick to note her extensive Federal Election Commission files, showing she'd donated to both GOP and Democratic candidates and PACs.

But no one reported on the chance she may have also contributed money to state pols and ballot initiatives in her home state of Texas, so I went to the Texas Ethics Commission's site to search their online files for any donations from Miers.

The commission's files go back only to July 2000 and since then, Miers has made no contributions.

What about possible donations made prior to then? That's the question I posed over the phone this afternoon to Jeanine Hudson at the commission's headquarters in Austin.

Hudson said pre-July 2000 files from candidates and campaigns are in the office, on paper, and available for public inspection during regular business hours. She also explained that to search the thousands of pages of contributions listed would be time-consuming and costly.

If I wanted to file an open records request with the ethics commission to search for donations from Miers prior to July 2000, it would cost me ten cents a page.

With my very limited income in mind, I told Hudson I couldn't afford a records search, but it sure would make me happy if she could tell me if any reporters or bloggers have been to the commission's office and started looking for a paper trail on Miers.

She said, as far as she knew, no one's come in and asked about Miers' possible files and donations.

Maybe someone in Austin will get to the office and see what, if anything, is on file for Miers.

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In a message dated 10/4/2005 10:27:59 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, letters@time.com writes:
Dear Mr. Petrelis:

John Cloud's donations to political candidate Eric Garcetti are in
compliance with Time Inc.'s standards of business conduct.

Betty Satterwhite
TIME letters


Dear Ms. Satterwhite:

Thanks for the reply.

Can you tell me, please, if Time's business conduct rule for reporters is posted on the web?

Unlike Time, the New York Times posts its ethical guidelines for their journalists on the web and it's at NYTCO.

Rule number 63 at the Gray Lady prohibits reporters from donating to causes and candidates. It's on page 22 of the Times' rule book and says: "Staff members may not themselves give money to, or raise money for, any political candidate or election cause. Given the ease of Internet access to public records of campaign contributors, any political giving by a times staff member would carry a great risk of feeding a false impression that the paper is taking sides."

Now, I know there's a huge difference between Time magazine and the Times, but it does appear to me, as a news consumer, that the paper sets, expects and meets a higher standard about reporting giving money to pols than your magazine and I am disappointed Time allows reporters to write checks to candidates, and that you all don't think it gives more than a hint that your reporter and Time may feed an impression of choosing a political side.

At this point in our exchange, I would really appreciate it if you would be so kind as to provide me with the exact wording of what Time's standards of business conduct are regarding such political giving.

I feel at a distinct disadvantage in not knowing precisely what Time's rule say about donations from reporters.

Regards,
Michael Petrelis