CNN Refuses to Run Ad Critical of Insurance Company

The battle over health care reform is currently being fought on the nation's airwaves. Ads urging passage of the president's proposed legislation, and those decrying it, have appeared in newspapers, on radio shows and across the television landscape. But one ad that targets both the Republican Party and the insurance industry will not be seen on CNN. Produced by Americans United for Change, the spot begins with the following Q and A:

Q: Why do insurance companies and Republicans want to kill health insurance reform?

A: Because they like things the way they are now.

Watch:



Via Greg Sargent, CNN explained the reason it decided not to run the ad:

"The ad does not comply with our clearance guidelines because it unnecessarily singles out an individual company and person."

That logic seems sound, until you consider that 99.9 percent of ads do mention companies by name, albeit in a positive light. And think of the negative political ads that dominate television screens (including CNN's) every election season. Certainly those ads single out candidates in a negative fashion.

MSNBC does not seem to share an aversion to targeted negativity, and will begin running the ad today.