Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton Leads Charge to Investigate Federal Advertising

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, (D-D.C.), has led the push for a new GAO report on federal advertising. In this photo, Norton speaks outside of the U.S. Capitol during a joint press conference between NNPA and NAHP in March 2016. (Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA)
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, (D-D.C.), has led the push for a new GAO report on federal advertising. In this photo, Norton speaks outside of the U.S. Capitol during a joint press conference between NNPA and NAHP in March 2016. (Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA)

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton Leads Charge to Investigate Federal Advertising

By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor)

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has heard the call for a new report on federal advertising and they’re listening.

One year ago, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) stood on Capitol Hill with members of the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) and the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) urging the GAO to issue a new report detailing how much money federal agencies spend on advertising in Black- and Hispanic-owned newspapers and media companies. Now, the GAO said it that will launch a formal investigation.

The GAO is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress and investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars, according to the group’s website.

Norton has been at the forefront of the call for the

report, noting that the federal government spends billions

of dollars on advertising services each year, but spends very little with minority-owned publications and media companies.

“Exactly one year ago, Congresswoman Norton stood along

with NAHP and NNPA members on the steps of Capitol Hill

requesting that the GAO issue a report on federal advertising

contracts with minority-owned newspapers,” said Silvana Diaz,

the legislative committee chair for the NAHP. “That was only

the beginning. Since then, we have taken this cause and request up with various members of Congress and U.S. Senators in order to build and generate the support needed to give this request the necessary attention.”

Diaz continued: “E-mails and phone calls went unanswered, but with perseverance and commitment, we

gathered not only enough, but also the adequate support to help us push this request.”

In March 2016, Norton sent a letter to Gene Dodaro, the

comptroller general at the GAO, asking for a new investigation

and a long overdue follow up to a 2007 GAO report that

revealed the lack of advertising by federal agencies in minorityowned media companies.

Norton’s letter was signed by several members of Congress

including: former Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K.

Butterfield (D-N.C.); Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.); Rep. Yvette

Clarke (D-N.Y.), Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio); Rep. John

Conyers (D-Mich.); Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Rep. Maxine

Waters (D-Calif.).

In December, Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Charles

Schumer (D-N.Y.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono

(D-Hawaii) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) joined Norton’s efforts,

each sending their own letters to the GAO.

“Yes, we have accepted the request,” said Chuck Young,

the managing director of public affairs for the GAO. “No start

date is set yet, but the first thing we do when such work begins is to determine the full scope of the areas we will cover and the methodology to be used. Once that is all done, then we will have timeframes.”

Through a spokesman, Norton said she was pleased that

GAO is moving forward.

Norton said that the federal government is the largest advertiser in the United States and it’s important that news

outlets and media companies owned or published by people

of color with a primary mission to serve communities of color

have the same opportunities as other media outlets, especially

as the Black and Hispanic populations continue to grow in our country.

In 2007, the GAO investigated the spending on advertising contracts with minority-owned businesses by five agencies—the Department of Defense, Department of the Treasury, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of the Interior, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)—and found that just five percent of the $4.3 billion available for advertising campaigns went to minority-owned businesses.

GAO officials said that each federal agency has its own budget, and because of a lack of research on this topic, totals are currently unavailable on the entirety of government advertising spending.

Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., president and CEO of the NNPA, said that the NNPA encourages the GAO to expedite the

completion of this vital and important study.

“Billions of dollars are at stake and Black Americans and

Hispanic Americans should be treated fairly and equitably when it comes to federal spending on advertising across the nation,” said Chavis. “We thank those members of the U.S. Congress, who continue to press for the GAO to take action on this matter.”

In addition to the update from the GAO, Norton wants more accountability.

She noted that, combined, the NAHP and NNPA enjoy an estimated reach of 43 million readers each week across the United States. With close to 97 million African-Americans and Hispanics in the U.S. today, representing 33 percent of the total population, this consumer segment demands attention, Norton said.

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