Laywers for Sen. Bill Nelson have written to Florida TV stations asking them not to air an ad that includes a false claim about Medicare cuts.

From a news release: In the wake of the recent Citizens United case, in which the Supreme Court allowed unlimited and undisclosed corporate money to be spent on such ads, TV stations have a greater responsibility to protect the public from the spread of false and deceptive information, Kendall Coffey, a lawyer for Nelson wrote in a letter to the stations today.

“On behalf of our client, we respectfully insist that you take this inaccurate ad off the air immediately,” Coffey wrote.  “As a media outlet, this station has a duty to protect the public from the spread of false information and deliberate deception.

The U.S. Chamber announced the 30-second ad last week and it repeats a widely used Republican claim that Democrats cut $500 billion from Medicare. It wasn't a cut, according to Politifact. It was a reduction in future growth (the size of the Medicare program will increase dollar-wise).

Nelson's lawyers contacted 48 stations, 10 cable operations, according to spokesman Dan McLaughlin. A letter sent to WFTS-TV Tampa is below.

Following is the text of the letter:
 
May 14, 2012

Via email: rpegram@wfts.com
 
Rich Pegram
WFTS-TV, Tampa
 
            Re:  Senator Bill Nelson
 
Dear Mr. Pegram:
 
            We represent Sen. Bill Nelson.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has bought time on your station for an ad that is seriously misleading and relies on a false assertion concerning Bill's Senate record.
 
            Specifically, the ad says: “… seniors will see $500 billion in Medicare cuts to fund Obamacare.”
 
Just last Friday, FactCheck.org, a non-partisan, non-profit consumer advocate project with the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, examined this ad and reported: “Chamber Continues To Mislead On Healthcare Law.”  In addition, the Pulitzer Prize-winning,  independent non-profit organization PolitiFact has reported a number of times that the claim is “false.”
 
I am enclosing links to the findings of these independent fact-checking organizations. 
 
            On behalf of our client, we respectfully insist that you take this inaccurate ad off the air immediately.  As a media outlet, this station has a duty to protect the public from the spread of false information and deliberate deception.
 
            Sincerely,
 
            Kendall Coffey
            Abigail Parent
 
http://factcheck.org/2012/05/chamber-continues-to-mislead-on-health-care...
 
http://www.politifact.com/ohio/statements/2011/jun/23/national-republica...