How Can I NOT Question What is Going On?

1) Stewart Mills, a wealthy Vice President of Mills Fleet Farm, who seems to have been chosen, groomed and inserted into the MN-08 race as the Republican candidate to try to unseat Congressman Rick Nolan, has a speech recorded at the 2nd Amendment and Liberty Rally this summer, in which he pulls a Mitt Romney, insisting the 99%'ers should never have negative feelings about wealthy 1% "job creators" and adds how the ultra wealthy should be allowed to keep most of their money, at the expense of the non-ultra wealthy.

2) The video is edited down for time constraints and placed into a political ad, making sure the voters see Mr. Mills' feelings about wealth and entitlement.  Personally, I don't think the ad distorts Mr. Mills comments to the point where I feel it's misrepresentative.  As a matter of fact, I think the ad actually softens Mr. Mills' overall point.

3) The ad is being aired on many media outlets in the state, with the exception being Hubbard Broadcasting's KSTP and WDIO.  Both have refused to air the ads.

4)  The Hubbard family insists this decision was made by the media company's legal department without any input from the Hubbard family themselves.

5) It's publicly known the Hubbard family are big supporters of Republicans.  The Hubbard family wants Republicans to win elections.  This is common knowledge throughout the Twin Cities radio portion of Hubbard Broadcasting; I worked for them for three years.  I am guessing this is also known within the company's legal department.

6) Hubbard Broadcasting Legal Department political ad approval process is a mystery.  They have not really explained their justification for pulling the ads, beyond their agreeing with the Mills campaign's "it's edited," and "that's not fair!" arguments, and the legal department doesn't seem to have the same approval standard for ads against Democrats where some of the allegations against them are quite exaggerated, at best.  Once again, in my opinion, the Stewart Mills ads are not deceptive at all.  Read the linked article and watch the un-edited tape yourself.  As a matter of fact, forward the unedited video onto everyone you know, especially anyone who lives in the MN-08 district.  They should see it.
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2014/08/hubbard_broadcastings_decision_to_pull_anti-stewart_mills_attack_ad_sparks_controversy.php

6) Stewart Mills has now used the Hubbard Broadcast Company's boycott of the ad as campaign fodder, talking about how the ads are untruthful because the ads were yanked in Minnesota.  To my knowledge, the only media outlets to pull the ad are the two Hubbard Broadcasting properties.

7) The Hubbard family is a sponsor of a fundraiser for the Stewart Mills campaign being held 8/14, featuring John Boehner.


At the very least there seems to be a lot of incidental back scratching going on.

There's no evidence Mr. Hubbard or any of the Hubbard family are lying.  He's a friend to certain members of my extended family, and for the record, I have some positive memories of my time at KSTP-AM.  The Hubbards, and all of Hubbard Broadcasting, were outstanding when they stood behind my former Program Director after he was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash.  The entire Hubbard family always treated me well and never told me directly what I should and should not talk about on air.  My boss did with some regularity, and it always lined up with their political point of view.

Is it so hard to believe the Hubbard Broadcasting Legal Department knew the Hubbard's personal political preferences, knew of their personal support for Stewart Mills and his campaign, and knew it's important to the family that MN-08 go back to the GOP, and in turn used Mills campaign's flimsy argument to justify pulling the ads?

We trust media to be honest in their presentation of the news, but this series of events shows how people get a perception of an agenda driven media, and media as corrupt and bias.  Where does the owners personal feelings end and where does the objectivity begin?  In this case, that is a blurred line at best.

It's not on me as a listener or viewer to prove a media outlet has got an agenda, it's up to the news outlet to prove they are not being driven by an ulterior motive.  Needless to say, I'll be watching what ads Hubbard Broadcasting does or does not approve this election cycle.  I'll be very interested in what the Hubbard Broadcasting Legal Department's justifications in both cases will be.