You hear the Wall Street news media saying stuff like, "Senator so and so earned a perfect score from the Toxic Metals Association scorecard of conservatives"... now we have proof that the ratings systems themselves are for sale.
Conservative and want your issue to count as part of the ratings system? Pay for a spot on the test!
See the NYT story: "Conservative Group Helping Industry Fight Federal Cuts", byline NICHOLAS CONFESSORE, April 9, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/...
It looks like a story about divisions in the GOP, but basically it boils down to the fact that the American Conservative Union will change its prominant rating system if your conservative industry group makes a fat donation to the ACU.
Bookmarkit in your brain for the next time someone says, "Everyone knows that so and so is blah blah blah" or "According to whoosiz, blah blah blah."
Shoot back as fast as you can: "You know the scoring on those rating systems is for sale?"
(And a plea for help: If you know of other examples, please post them, your contrib would help me with something I'm trying to put together to grade the news media.)