Our Media

Waldman (DK): CNN severely compromises itself, but is really, really sorry and stuff

Greg Sargent at The Plum Line (thanks to the work of Media Matters) has the goods:

The CNN contributor, a well-known GOP consultant named Alex Castellanos, is best known for producing the racially-charged "Hands" ad, has repeatedly appeared on the network attacking the Dem health care plans and the public option, which is strongly opposed by the insurance industry.
Castellanos’s consulting firm, National Media, also happens to be the ad buyer that placed over href=" million of TV advertising for AHIP, according to ad buy info obtained by Media Matters. AHIP’s most recent href=" million ad buy attacks the health care plan as a threat to Medicare.

So the guy is taking a fat commission on millions of dollars worth of ad buys from AHIP, but there he sits on CNN's "Situation Room" just about daily, giving us all his cool, dispassionate analysis of... the health care bill, from inside his regulation, Very Serious^TM pundit's suit, with nary a word about this severe and glaring conflict of interest.
And while I have your attention, let me reemphasize something Sargent pointed out:

The CNN contributor, a well-known GOP consultant named Alex Castellanos, is best known for producing the racially-charged "Hands" ad....

Here's Castellanos in his paid position on CNN, trying to play Mr. Cool-and-Reasonable with Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL-08):

Now, here's what Mr. Cool-and-Reasonable does in real life, when the cameras aren't on him:

Now CNN pays him to play Mr. Cool-and-Reasonable on health insurance reform, even as he pockets piles of money from industry attack ads against it.
But The Most Trusted Name in News is, like, totally sorry and stuff, and will most definitely tell you about it next time.
Meanwhile, good luck and happy voting! Let's all be friends!