REPORT: Fox News, Wall Street Journal Advised House Democrat Staffers During All-Expenses-Paid NYC Junket

March 20, 2025

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From Breitbart: Two Rupert Murdoch-owned establishment media outlets with contentious relationships with President Donald Trump hosted staff members for prominent House Democrats in February to offer strategic communications advice.

The leftwing Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) sponsored and financed an all-expenses-paid trip for a Democrat-heavy group of congressional staffers to New York City February 27-28 to meet with representatives of Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, Sludge first reported.

PPI, founded in 1989 by the Democratic Leadership Council “as the intellectual home of the New Democrats,” is an arm of the self-described “center-left” Third Way.

Among the attendees of the bipartisan trip were staff for the leader of the House Democrats’ campaign arm and the House Democrats’ chief deputy whip.

The publications briefed staffers on how to better collaborate to spread their bosses’ messages, according to government documents.

A post-travel disclosure form on the House Ethics Committee’s website from one of the attendees, Nicholas Martin, the top communications staffer for Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) chair Rep. Suzan DelBene (WA) reveals more details about the trip.

The form describes the trip as: “Meetings with media organizations and reporters to better our understanding of their goals and how we can get our message out through their channels.”

According to an itinerary of the trip, on Friday, February 28 the staffers made multiple stops, including:

8:45-10:30 am – Discussion with NBC Comcast
10:30 – 11:30 am – Visit to Fox News, including studio tour, networking and discussion with Fox producers and bookers
12:00 – 1:30 pm – Columbia University School of Journalism Roundtable
2:00 – 3:00 pm – Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Discussion
3:15 – 4:00 pm – Discussion with Moody’s Credit Rating Agency
4:15 – 5:00 pm – Visit to New York Stock Exchange
5:15 – 6:15 pm – Social Media Workshop – Discussion featuring the Google communications team on social media best practices and digital tools