GOP slams NJ.com for donations to Sherrill, Democrats

New Jersey Republicans today blasted a major news organization for not telling its readers that an owner and top executive, Ben Newhouse, is a large donor to Democratic candidates.

Newhouse, a 43-year-old Jersey City resident, has contributed the maximum amount permitted under state election law to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill.   With matching funds, Newhouse’s $5,800 contribution in the primary election meant Sherrill had access to $17,400 to win her primary.

“Today’s revelation that the owner of NJ Advance Media is a major donor to Mike Sherrill’s campaign, a fact never disclosed to readers, is outrageous,” said Kate Gibbs, the executive director of the Republican State Committee.  “For years, we’ve said much of NJ.com’s coverage reads like campaign propaganda, and now we can confirm why– just follow the money. This isn’t journalism. New Jerseyans deserve better.”

Newhouse, whose family owns the $24 billion publishing empire that includes NJ.com, the Star-Ledger, Conde Nast and others, has contributed over $400,000 to Democratic candidates.

Dave D’Alessandro, who was the Star-Ledger’s deputy editorial page editor until the newspaper shuttered its opinion page earlier this year, made modest personal contributions to the Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Barack Obama presidential campaigns, along with nearly twenty Democratic Senate and House candidates outside New Jersey.   The Star-Ledger endorsement of Harris did not include a disclaimer that D’Alessandro – or Newhouse – had donated to the Democratic nominee.