Congressman Calls for Investigation into Glenn Beck's Hawking Gold for Shady Company

[marmar]

via AlterNet:



Media Matters for America / By Will Bunch

Congressman Calls for Investigation into Glenn Beck's Hawking Gold for Shady Company
Beck works with gold companies to create anxiety, fear and gimmicky solutions that enriches both him and the companies.

May 19, 2010 |


Throughout Glenn Beck's meteoric rise to become king of all right-wing media, a once-obscure Santa Monica peddler of gold coins called Goldline International has been along for the ride. The support of Beck and other radio hosts -- mainly conservatives like Mark Levin and Fred Thompson -- who spend 55 minutes creating fear of an economic collapse and then five minutes telling you why coins from a company like Goldline are the only safe haven has helped Goldline become a $500 million company.

This, for example, is what 2 million TV viewers who clicked on Beck's nightly Fox News Channel show heard on Oct. 6, 2009:

You don’t have any gold, right? This is you. This is you. This is your savings. How much did you lose if you had any money in your 401k? Did you lose, let’s say, I don’t know, 40 percent of it? So, that’s gone. Now, did you know that the dollar has lost nearly 29 percent of its value in the last seven years? Twenty-nine percent. OK, that’s gone. Just gone.

This isn't an advertisement, although it may sound like one. It's the editorial content of the show, although at some point during the hour viewers are sure to see an ad for Goldline with their "800" number prominently displayed. Meanwhile, visitors to GlennBeck.com see a big ad for Goldline, while visitors to Goldline.com can see testimonials from Beck for Goldline. It's hard to know sometimes where Beck -- who famously told his viewers to get behind "God, gold, and guns" -- ends and Goldline begins. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/story/146913/congressman_calls_for_investigation_into_glenn_beck%27s_hawking_gold_for_shady_company/

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. He should resign

[SpiralHawk]

2. This chickenhawk republicon propagandist is guilty of Becksterism*

* Modern variation on hucksterism