Campaigns & Elections
Heard Around Town: News publishers promote BP Eric Adams
Earlier this week, Vicki and Josh Schneps, co-publishers of several local newspapers in Queens and Brooklyn, promoted Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adam’s upcoming fundraiser using a Queens Courier-affiliated email. The blast called the event a way to support Adams “in all the powerful things he is doing for Brooklyn.”
While the email doesn't detail the nature of the relationship between Adams and the Schneps' or their publication, some professional media associations said the Tuesday email posed potential conflicts of interest. One unanswered question is whether or not the couples’ actions should be considered a campaign contribution.
The communication features a flyer about the borough president’s Sept. 30 birthday celebration, where event contributor costs are listed as $500 and chair rates as $3,850, below a photo of a smiling Adams in a navy suit and pink tie. The email is addressed to friends. It noted the Schneps hoped “you will join in the festivities wishing our Brooklyn Borough President a Happy Birthday and supporting him in all the powerful things he is doing for Brooklyn” and then included an image of the flyer.
Fred Brown, a member of the Society of Professional Journalists Ethics Committee, forwarded along the organization’s position paper on political involvement, which recommended that news owners and publishers disclose political activity: “Is this ethical? It’s at best a double standard, and a questionable practice. But at the very minimum there should be public disclosure — in their own media — when media magnates get politically involved in this way.”
Kenny Irby, senior faculty member for ethics and diversity at Poynter, agreed that it would be prudent for publishers to explain whether they or the companies they represent are engaging in political activity and ensure readers are aware of the nuances of it. “They have a much higher level of exposure, in a community,” he said. “In the 21st century, where there are all kinds of partnerships and cross pollinations, what’s probably more important is transparency.”
Vicki Schneps responded via email saying, "Josh and I are not hosting the birthday party. The invitations went to my friends and associates based on our professional relationship with the boro president and support of his many excellent initiatives."
A spokesman for the borough president said Adams’ team paid for and printed the fliers, and the Schneps made the decision to forward them out. Neither Schneps is involved in organizing or hosting the fundraiser, according to Adams’ spokesman.
That doesn’t mean the communication does not have monetary value. Other Queens Courier email blasts, such as a Sept. 22 one sent out from news@queenscourier.com, include banner ads from companies. Cutler’s Lighting, whose business was featured in a Sept. 22 email from the publication, confirmed that the publicity was part of an advertising package it paid for.
The New York City Campaign Finance Board declined to comment on how it would classify the email. But, its handbook notes that goods or services donated to campaigns free of charge or at a discount are considered in-kind contributions.
“The dollar amount of an in-kind contribution is either the actual price paid (documented with a receipt) or its fair market value, which is the price anyone would normally pay for the good or service rendered,” the handbook reads.