With inflation rising and Congress pumping out massive spending bills, conservative media have focused renewed attention on financial issues — and lent significant airtime to some of the very companies underwriting their shows.

Why it matters: Politics is bleeding into financial advice, and all incentives are to play up impending economic disaster.

“Buy gold” ads have been a cable news and talk radio staple for years. But the present focus on precious metals as a hedge against rising prices is aligning pundits’ ideological and financial interests.

The result is a blurred line between political commentary and paid advertising.