CREW Urges MSNBC to Pull Misleading and Delusional Health Care Ad

WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) sent a letter
to MSNBC President Phil Griffin asking that MSNBC stop airing an ad sponsored by
the U.S. Citizens Association. The ad, which ran at least once on August 27,
2009, during Morning Joe, violates Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
regulations and NBC`s advertising policy.

According to its website, the U.S. Citizens Association is a non-profit
organization dedicated to, among other things, informing "the public on the
fallacies of the information being spread by the liberal socialist organizations
and the facts on capitalism versus socialism." The ad, which can be viewed on
the organization`s website (http://www.uscitizensassociation.com/USCA_tv.html)
opposes healthcare reform and includes the following statements:

* Government can tax and print money, which will eliminate private healthcare
and impose socialized medicine.
* You will wait months and years for treatment. Many people will not get treated
at all.
* You will pay for free healthcare for over 20 million illegal aliens.

In its letter, CREW noted that some of the ad`s claims are ludicrous, for
example, the U.S. has been taxing citizens and printing money for over 200
years, without any obvious impact on private healthcare. Other claims, such as
that healthcare will be rationed and 20 million illegal aliens will receive free
healthcare, have been debunked.

The FCC expects broadcasters not to air false or misleading ads and NBC requires
a "reasonable basis for the claims" made by an advertiser and that claims "fall
within the bounds of reasonable debate." By airing U.S. Citizens Association`s
ludicrous advertisement, MSNBC appears to have violated both FCC and NBC policy.

CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan stated, "The ad goes beyond misleading and
well into delusional. There is no reasonable explanation for airing an ad that
irrationally argues because the government can tax and print money, private
healthcare will be eliminated. MSNBC should be embarrassed this one got through
and pull it immediately."

Click here to read CREW`s letter to MSNBC.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit
legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their
actions. For more information, please visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact
Naomi Seligman at 202.408.5565 // nseligman@citizensforethics.org

CREW
Naomi Seligman
202-408-556
nseligman@citizensforethics.org

Copyright Business Wire 2009