Tell The Washington Post: Don't Let Conservatives Write The News

(Editor's Note: On Sunday, The Washington Post ombudsman Andrew Alexander responded to the call for his paper to sever all ties to austerity activist and Social Security/Medicare opponent Pete Peterson, and end its relationship with The Fiscal Times. While he conceded The Fiscal Times' initial work lacked balance, he did not call for The Washington Post to stop publishing news content written by ideological advocates. Below is an email Roger Hickey sent to our supporters today, announcing a new tool so you can help step up the pressure on The Post.)

We're in the midst of a colossal battle: do we want recovery or austerity? Do we boldly invest in America's people and infrastructure to ensure a robust economic recovery, or do we severely cut back and gut Social Security and Medicare to end budget deficits at all costs?

It's fine for citizens and politicians to take sides. It's not fine for the media to take sides. But that's exactly what The Washington Post has done, publishing "news" articles written by The Fiscal Times: an organization funded by billionaire austerity activist Pete Peterson.

Click here now to tell The Post ombudsman to sever all ties to austerity activist Pete Peterson and The Fiscal Times.

The Washington Post has violated the ethical foundation of journalism, forging a formal relationship with an ideologue to produce news content -- not for the op-ed section, but for the news section.

The first article by Peterson's Fiscal Times that The Post published, on Dec. 31, promoted the undemocratic Conrad-Gregg budget commission that the Senate will vote on this month. It should be the last "article" The Post publishes by them.

We must let The Washington Post know it is damaging its own credibility and distorting the public debate.

Click here today and speak out against The Post's ties to austerity activist Pete Peterson and The Fiscal Times.

Peterson has long sought to have his ideological view be treated as sacred truth, and his opponents deemed fiscal cowards. In reality, most economists - including Nobel laureate Paul Krugman - believe the smartest long-term fiscal strategy is to invest in jobs and growth today to help ease deficit reduction tomorrow.

But The Washington Post-Pete Peterson pact seeks to marginalize the view of anyone who stands up for a serious public investment strategy and sound retirement security to sustainably grow our economy.

Click here to stop the destructive, unethical Washington Post-Pete Peterson pact threatening our Social Security and Medicare.

As we were reminded in 2009, the fight for progressive change against entrenched special interests is always painstaking. But change will be impossible if media institutions allow those special interests to simply write the news for them.

The Washington Post tie to Pete Peterson is more than just an isolated question of media ethics. Our ability to have an informed public determine the direction of our nation is at stake.

We must break this sordid tie. With your help we can.

Views expressed on this page are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Campaign for America's Future or Institute for America's Future