Ooops: Goldline, Fox 'Clarify' Glenn Beck's Ties to Gold

Company says it was wrong to call Beck a 'paid sponsor'
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 14, 2009 9:08 AM CST

Fox News seems to be watching Jon Stewart. After the drubbing Stewart gave Glenn Beck last week for pumping gold on his show, even as he was listed as a "paid spokesman" for Goldline, a company that sells gold coins, the network fired off a letter to Beck’s reps, “seeking clarification.” It also released a statement saying that its official policy “prohibits on-air talent from endorsing products.”

Goldline quickly changed the language on its website. Until a few days ago, Beck’s picture was accompanied by a footnote reading, “paid spokesman”; the footnote now reads “radio sponsor.” The company says the language Stewart picked up on was a mistake. It says it’s merely a sponsor of Beck’s radio and TV shows, but doesn’t pay him any separate fees. “We used the term ‘paid spokesman’ because we felt it was important to tell people that there is a payment going to somebody,” said Goldline’s president.
(More Glenn Beck gold stories.)

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