We've all been there. Yesterday the United Federation of Teachers sent reporters via email audio copies of a new radio ad demanding that the state pony up the cash for the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. They also sent the ad's script, presumably for people like me who don't know how to make audio files work. This is run-of-the-mill stuff for reporters, particularly ones who cover political campaigns, because free news coverage of an ad helps provide more bang for the paid ad spot buck. (This particular ad is considered "issue advocacy" and not political in nature, which keeps it out of campaign finance expenditure reports. And union dues money isn't supposed to mingle with political expenditures, even though most people reading this are probably giggling right now.)

Today reporters got a mysterious reply to yesterday's widely emailed script. It was from a UFT staffer and presumably wasn't intended for a wider audience for obvious reasons. Wrote the concerned staff person, who wondered about one particular line where the speaker threatens not to vote for Legislators who aren't opening the state's checkbook to the city schools:

Does 'They won't get my vote' straddle the Issue nature of the ad? Some legal advice would be good on that.

Yikes! Indeed, if reporters weren't asking whether the ads were legal yesterday, you can bet they are today. Though I have to assume the UFT's lawyers played a role in checking over the script BEFORE it was sent out to the press, since they walk this fine line all the time.

Yeah, it's very inside baseball, but interesting nonetheless. When I worked at the Daily News, I once sent out an email that made tremendous fun of our business editor at the time. It was intended for one particular person, but I inadvertently sent it to the entire newsroom. Not cool.