Meet 39 journalists who made political contributions.

By Dave Levinthal / Business Insider

They’re among dozens who’ve together given at least $110,000 mostly to 2020 Democrats, including Biden, Bernie, and AOC.

• Most journalists don’t give politicians money, but for those who have in the 2020 election, they’ve donated almost exclusively to Democrats, an Insider analysis of federal records shows.
• Following Insider’s inquiries, The Hill said it had suspended a political reporter who had contributed money to Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Senate candidate Amy McGrath, a Democrat running against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Los Angeles Times said it “pulled people off political coverage” who had made political contributions to several Democrats.
• Journalists at The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Houston Chronicle are among dozens of reporters, editors, and other newspeople who’ve given tens of thousands of dollars to political candidates and causes.
• Should President Trump’s attacks on the press, coupled with movements like Black Lives Matter, cause newsrooms to rethink their political-participation policies? Some say yes.
• This article is the first in a three-part series about the ethics of journalists personally participating in political advocacy. Read part two and part three.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

The Marshall Project is a small but mighty nonprofit newsroom that, during its six years in operation, has won multiple major journalism awards for its criminal-justice reporting, including a Pulitzer.

It’s aggressively reported on both Republicans and Democrats. Independence, accuracy, and nonpartisanship are among its founding principles.

Marshall Project journalists are expected to “shun” personal political involvement and avoid conflicts of interest, be they “real or perceived,” its code of ethics says.

But during this election, in which President Donald Trump endlessly trashes journalists as “fake news” and declares the press an “enemy of the people,” three Marshall Project journalists have together contributed hundreds of dollars to interests opposing Republicans.

Among the beneficiaries, federal records show, are Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign and a political committee led by Democratic Party luminary Stacey Abrams.

The Sanders donor wasn’t aware of The Marshall Project’s policy against political contributions, and the two others mistakenly believed they were contributing to a nonprofit voter registration effort, not a political committee, president Carroll Bogert said. Bogert added that The Marshall Project has recently clarified its policy with the newsroom to “ensure better compliance going forward.”

Neil Barsky, The Marshall Project’s founder and board chairman, has himself spread $30,000 among prominent 2020 Democrats, including the campaigns of Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, and Jaime Harrison, who’s running to unseat Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina.

For that Barsky makes no apologies.

“For the sake of our democracy and the health of our planet, I sincerely hope Trump loses on November 3, and I plan to continue to do everything in my power as a private citizen to help make that happen,” he told Insider, adding that he is not a journalist and The Marshall Project’s code of ethics does not apply to him because he is not a newsroom employee.

The vast majority of working journalists do not contribute money to political campaigns and committees, adhering to a decades-old industry norm that frowns on their participating in partisan politics.

But dozens of outliers — reporters, editors, photojournalists, and other newsroom professionals at outlets large and small — have contributed money to political candidates and committees during this election, according to an Insider analysis of campaign-contribution records filed with the Federal Election Commission and recent interviews with most of the journalists or their bosses. Many do not primarily cover or edit national political news, though some do.

These journalists sometimes made their political donations in violation of strict newsroom policies, and some expressed concern they’d be punished — even fired — if their supervisors found out.

After Insider’s inquiries this month, at least two news organizations, the Los Angeles Times and The Hill, confirmed that they had, even before this story’s publication, reprimanded journalists who had recently made political contributions.

Other reporters and editors took a defensive stance, arguing they had a constitutional right — newsroom policies be damned — to legally spend their own money as they pleased.

A few news organizations maintain no formal policy, refusing to police what they consider staffers’ personal decisions to make political contributions or participate in political movements.

Insider found that between January 1, 2019, and August 31, 2020, working journalists had contributed at least $110,000 to federal-level political committees. Because FEC contribution data contains omissions and errors, and Insider could not definitively confirm some contributions attributed in public records to journalists, the number is likely higher than $110,000.

There’s one commonality among members of the media who did give politicians money this election: Nearly all their cash went to Democratic candidates and causes, particularly Biden and Sanders.

Only a handful of journalists gave money to Trump, who on Monday tweeted yet another complaint about his press coverage: “Corrupt Media conspiracy at all time high.”

When reporting and donations clash

No law prohibits journalists from contributing money to candidates or causes, but many trade groups and newsrooms still demand abstinence. Their reasons: ethics, independence, and avoiding conflicts of interest.

“The simplest answer is ‘No.’ Don’t do it. Don’t get involved. Don’t contribute money, don’t work in a campaign, don’t lobby, and especially, don’t run for office yourself,” the Society of Professional Journalists’ ethics committee decrees.

“Political activity and active advocacy can undercut the real or perceived independence of those who practice journalism,” the Radio Television Digital News Association says in its code of ethics.

Many prominent news organizations, including the Associated Press and The New York Times, expressly prohibit their journalists from donating to political candidates and campaigns.

“We don’t donate money to candidates,” NPR’s ethics handbook says.

Editorial employees who violate such newsrooms’ rules risk disciplinary action, even termination.

But in some cases this election season, journalists’ personal politicking has collided with their professional duties.

On the evening of October 22, after Insider had inquired earlier that day about five Los Angeles Times reporters and editors who had recently made political donations, executive editor Norman Pearlstine and general counsel Jeff Glasser sent a memo to staff quoting newsroom policy against making political contributions.

“We treat these violations seriously because they undermine our commitment to impartial coverage,” Pearlstine and Glasser wrote in the memo.

“We also urge you to avoid public expressions or demonstrations of political views. Such political advocacy can call into question the impartiality of Times coverage, in fact or appearance … . “

Federal records show that deputy business editor Jeff Bercovici, photo editor Robert St. John, entertainment and culture writer Jessica Gelt, and copyeditors Lisa Horowitz and Rachel Dunn together made hundreds of dollars’ worth of political contributions that benefited a variety of Democratic committees, including the campaigns of Biden, Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and the Democratic National Committee. Bercovici has written this year about political matters.

The Los Angeles Times staffers either declined to comment on the record or did not respond to requests for comment. But one staffer, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of being fired, said, “I find it ironic that an industry that depends on freedom of speech to exist denies its employees that same freedom when it comes to political expression.”

Without naming names, Pearlstine told Insider, “We have pulled people off political coverage whom we know made contributions.”

Following publication of this article, Bercovici told Insider that he donated $75 in June 2019 to Warren’s campaign immediately after becoming a Los Angeles Times staffer, “and I wasn’t yet aware of our [political contribution] policies or that my role would involve political coverage.” After Bercovici made a $27 contribution to Sanders’ campaign in February, he said he learned the donation violated newsroom policy. He asked for a refund, which the Sanders campaign granted and a receipt reviewed by Insider confirmed. 

In Washington, political reporter Niv Elis at The Hill has given $150 to Warren and $100 to Amy McGrath this election cycle, FEC records show. Elis regularly writes about US government and politics, including Warren and McGrath’s opponent in Kentucky, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Bob Cusack, the editor in chief of The Hill, told Insider that the publication had suspended Elis for “this lack of judgment.” Elis, who declined to comment, last wrote a story for The Hill on October 18.

McClatchy reporter Summer Lin contributed $150 to Sanders’ presidential campaign early this year. She’s regularly written about Sanders, and donated $50 to Sanders’ campaign on March 3, the same day she published a news article headlined “Biden narrows gap with Sanders in CA; other candidates near crucial threshold, poll says.”

Even so, four Insider employees have given money to Democratic candidates and causes during this election.

They are reviews-team deputy editor Malarie Gokey, who’s made dozens of political contributions with a focus on the Warren and Sanders campaigns, and political columnist Linette Lopez, who made a series of small-dollar donations to Warren’s campaign and a fund in 2019 for the eventual Democratic presidential nominee — ultimately Biden.

Insider associate producer Steve Cameron and entertainment correspondent Kirsten Acuna also contributed money to Democratic committees, including Warren’s campaign.

The Insider employees did not respond to requests for comment. Gokey made her contributions while working at Insider but before becoming an editorial employee.

In response to questions about these contributions, Insider’s editorial standards board met last week and “conducted a thorough re-consideration of the policy, and came out strongly in favor of keeping it in place,” Insider senior vice president of communication Mario Ruiz said.

“We have spoken with the reporters in question to make sure they understand the importance of adhering to this rule,” he added.