Although there has always been an extremely thin line between news journalism and Republican Party activism at the Fox News Channel, network’s parent company — Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. just became not just a propaganda arm of the GOP, but also the party’s financier. According to a Bloomberg report, the Republican Governors Association received a $1 million donation from News Corporation, the parent company of Fox Broadcasting and the Fox News Channel, and conservative newspapers such as the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal. In fact, News Corp. was the RGA’s "biggest corporate donor." The RGA, whose "primary mission is to help elect Republicans to governorships throughout the nation," is headed by Republican Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi, who was formerly the Chairman of the Republican National Committee.

News Corp is not the only media company directly funding political advocacy groups. Hubbard Broadcasting Inc., which operates multiple television and radio outlets in Minnesota, New York, and New Mexico, contributed $100,000 to MN Forward, a conservative organization backed by other corporations such as Target and BestBuy. MN Forward‘s main goal is to support far-right Republican Tom Emmer’s campaign for Governor of Minnesota.

Now that media companies such as News Corp and Hubbard Broadcasting are specifically siding with Republicans candidates in the upcoming election, it’s only fair that news anchors inform their viewers of their parent company’s direct support for certain candidates. While Republican favoritism has always been obvious on Fox News, the Citizens United ruling allows Fox’s support for the GOP to go even further potentially by making enormous direct financial contributions to Republican campaign committees. Fox is no longer just a mouthpiece for the Republican Party, as it is now its unambiguous sponsor and patron.