PGN publisher, co-author of Clinton interview gave her campaign $1,000

The Philadelphia Gay News has gotten a lot of attention for its recent interview with Hillary Clinton, as well as the blank space on the front page where Obama would have appeared had he responded to the newspaper’s requests. But I think it’s worth noting that the publisher of the newspaper and one of the authors of the Clinton interview, Mark Segal, contributed $1,000 to Hillary’s campaign in 2007. There’s long been debate in journalism circles as to whether it’s appropriate to make financial contributions to candidates or even participate in the political process at all beyond casting a ballot in the privacy of a voting booth. However, I think most would agree that when you do, you should make a full disclosure as part of any coverage in which you’re involved. Segal apparently failed to make such a disclosure, and as a result he’s getting slammed. To view the newspaper’s front page, go here.

UPDATE: In an interview with The Daily Examiner, Segal insists The Philadelphia Gay News isn’t behind Clint0n: “I’m personally on the fence,” he says. “The space was left open to show that we are willing to feature him equally. We will put his answers to the same exact questions. It’s in his ballpark. He’s the one who doesn’t want to play fair.”

The Examiner didn’t ask about the $1,000 contribution. To read some analysis of the Clinton interview from Chris Crain, go here. To view Queerty’s post on Segal, which includes plenty of interesting comments, go here.