Corporate Disclosure: “Transparency v. Free Speech”
This morning the National Journal takes a look at corporate political campaign disclosure. In the piece titled “Transparency v. Free Speech,” which takes a look at campaign disclosure from two points of view: one is that transparency in the form of corporate political disclosure is important for democracy in the United States; and the other, which states that disclosure inhibits the first amendment rights of corporations.
The argument that disclosure inhibits free speech is dissected, with the authors stating that the First Amerndment argument is “profoundly dangerous and self destructive.” Supported is the argument that “transparency is vital to democracy and even free markets … [and] flooding the political system with secret money invites corruption and scandal.”
The article also highlights some of those on the forefront of corporate disclosure. Our last Beyond the Network post mentioned the advancements in voluntary corporate disclosure, and the National Journal piece today mentions Microsoft and Merck as corporate disclosure leaders who already monitor and make public their political contributions.
The article closes by saying: “The greatest First Amendment threat on the horizon, therefore, is not disclosure. It’s secrecy.”
