I visited the Newseum the first week it opened - it was on a Sunday morning and was during the broadcast.  The museum itself was incredible - great educational opportunity, and it is all about how our current events have been shaped and presented by our news media, the history of the media, and the lives of reporters as important influential figures in our history, and even that news media can directly affect historical events (like the events leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall). It was quite moving and inspiring - I cried three times.  It's a terrifically progressive and exciting series of exhibition rooms, and a stunning building.   OK, so enough of the plug. It's very appropriate, and not at all in conflict with the 501(c)(3) restrictions on lobbying, that news casts take place there. The Sunday morning show with Stephanopolous is a show that includes speakers from all political spectrums, and the production there is part of the exhibition - you literally see the news cast taking place onsite.  It doesn't put the museum at all in the position of appearing to endorse a candidate.

The topic of political events in museums is an entirely different subject. The bottom line is the institution can never endorse any candidate - and it's safer to stay away from even the appearance of endorsement.  (of course individuals in the museum can endorse candidates as private citizens).  So if a political party wants to hold a political fundraiser in your space, that's fine, as long as they are renting the space for the same fee that outsiders pay (and I would avoid giving any kind of discount) and don't have your museum staff be the "hosts" in any way - the president of your board or director shouldn't be up at the podium singing the praises of the candidate under the roof of the museum.  And never let the group use the museum's name on an invitation in any other way than providing location information.  (For instance don't allow the museum to be listed as a sponsor/host, etc)   If the president of your board is also the county party chairman, it's probably better that the fundraiser be held in a neutral location - it would just implicate your museum in the endorsement, at least by appearance.   The confusion that occurs over this issue is that while museums cannot endorse candidates, you can endorse political positions/issues, like an increase in funding in the arts, or municipal funding for more police officers, or a county measure increasing funding for your museum. There is further confusion about the use of sitting politicians (as opposed to candidates) - you are allowed to have local office holders at your museum events - galas, openings, etc, and you can even ask them to say something at the mike - for instance it's fine to have the mayor give a welcome and even talk about the importance of the museum in the life of your city.   What you should avoid is having the mayor speak if he is currently running for re-election (i.e. he's pulled the papers and is officially a candidate), because that could appear to be an endorsement because you are providing a forum for a one-sided commercial, even if the content of his/her presentation has nothing to do with the re-election campaign.  I believe the museum is safe if you provide the space for a candidate's forum (where several candidates speak as in a debate), because there is no appearance of endorsement. It's best to err on the side of caution and not hold these events if you are not entirely sure.

Melissa Rosengard


 

On Mon, Jun 9, 2008 at 12:12 PM, Your Name <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Stephanopoulos is not the only one broadcasting from the Newseum.  Over the past several weeks NPR's Talk of the Nation has also done several shows from the Newseum.  I haven't had a chance to look, but offering broadcast space/studio/etc. may be a part of their mission.  A chance for visitors to see news programs live.

Cheryl Brookshear

> > > George Stephanopoulos' show on Sunday morning, all about politics, has been broadcasting from the new Newseum.  To me, that's an appropriate placement because it's about the news, but I have some reservations.  The current administration has held fundraisers over time at various museums.  Hillary gave her "concession" speech yesterday from the National Building Museum.  In each instance, it's visibility for the museum they might not otherwise have gone and could conceivably generate additional revenue.  But to me, it mixes politics with a 501(c)3, and I wonder if it's a match for the mission of the institutions.  Further, could there be tax implications.  In Hillary's case, since it was a Democratic function, would it run off potential Republican contributors (who quite often have big > bucks)?I don't know, but the idea has kind of stuck in my craw a bit over the weekend, and I was wondering what you guys think.  I'm not focusing on candidates here, just concepts.Thoughts? > ========================================================= > Important Subscriber Information: > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).


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