Congressional Challenger Shirley Golub rallies thousands of constituents to protest corporate censorship

For Immediate Release

SAN FRANCISCO/EWORLDWIRE/May 15, 2008 --- Though accepted and broadcast by three major TV channels in San Francisco, KPIX, KRON and KGO, Comcast Cable first refused to run Shirley Golub's "Rubber Chicken" political ad, where she calls Nancy Pelosi out as a political coward. Only after receiving more than 6,000 personal e-mail messages expressing outraged protest from citizens all over the country was Comcast forced to relent in what was perceived as blatant corporate censorship.

Golub says, "Not only did Comcast refuse to accept my ad, but the company even refused to respond to my requests for contact information for the company's corporate attorneys on the East coast, where I understand the rejection was sourced. Apparently they did not appreciate having Nancy Pelosi's political spine likened to that of a rubber gag item."

Golub specifically wanted to run the ad on MSNBC in her congressional district, where she is challenging Nancy Pelosi for the Democratic party primary nomination on June 3. By broadcasting in this area, she was seeking to demonstrate support for the Keith Olbermann show in particular, as fans of his own uncompromising truth-telling would be natural supporters of her own campaign.

Persistent previous reports of acts of censorship by Comcast Corporation may be found by conducting a simple Google search for the words "Comcast" and "censorship," which returns 141,000 hits. Golub says, "In my case, the blocking of the ad was patently senseless because the cable was carrying the signals of all other regular broadcast channels that were running the ad themselves." In fact, as reported by KPIX CBS 5 TV's Joe Vazquez in San Francisco, the ad itself was a noteworthy political story ('http://cbs5.com/local/shirley.golub.ad.2.718669.html').

Not willing to back down, Golub put the word out that she had an action page, to relay messages of protest to Comcast's CEO Brian Roberts. More than 6,000 people responded, many including comments in their own words condemning Comcast for refusing to run the political ad. As a result of this mass outpouring, Comcast quickly reversed its position, and tendered an apology, writing the incident off to "confusion," according to Lynne Simon, director of general sales for Comcast Spotlight in San Francisco.

Golub is demanding more than just an apology. She goes on to say, "There was no so-called 'confusion' about this incident. Comcast representatives told me they objected to the content and had previously put me on notice that they were requiring their parent corporate attorneys to approve my ads. Comcast must put a procedure in place to prevent this kind of situation from re-occurring not just to me but also to any other political candidate in the future."

She concludes, "We all have to start standing up more, to speak out, to have the courage of our convictions to demand real policy change. That is what my Web site, Shirley08.com ('http://www.shirley08.com'), and my candidacy are all about."

Contacts:
Email: press@shirley08.com
Web site: 'http://www.shirley08.com'
Mail: P.O. Box 170580, San Francisco, CA 94117-0580
Phone: 866-428-1271 (Priscilla Trauner)

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CONTACT:
Priscilla Trauner
Shirley Golub for Congress
PHONE. 866-428-1271

SOURCE: Shirley Golub for Congress

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