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Media Matters for America

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For other organizations named 'Media Matters', see Media Matters (disambiguation).
Media Matters for America
Media Matters Home Page
Screenshot from Media Matters for America (April 14, 2009)
Formation2004
WebsiteMediaMatters.org

Media Matters for America (or MMfA) is a media watchdog group organized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Founded in 2004 by journalist and author David Brock, Media Matters describes itself as "a web-based, not-for-profit, progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media."[1][2] Media Matters for America defines "conservative misinformation" as "news or commentary presented in the media that is not accurate, reliable, or credible and that forwards the conservative agenda."[3] Eric E. Burns is the president of the organization.[4]

Research work

Media Matters employs a number of researchers who report and analyze instances of what the group terms "conservative misinformation" in the media. Media Matters analyzes the dominant American news sources including NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, and Fox News Channel.[5] It uses a variety of techniques, including content analysis, fact checking, monitoring, and comparison of quotes or presentations from media figures to primary documents such as Pentagon or Government Accountability Office reports.[6]

Analysis of weekend television commentary

On February 14, 2006, the organization released a study of the guest appearances on ABC's This Week, CBS' Face the Nation, and NBC's Meet the Press from 1997 through 2005. This study examined over 7,000 guests as either Democrat, Republican, conservative, progressive, or neutral. Media Matters stated: "The conclusion is clear: Republicans and conservatives have been offered more opportunities to appear on the Sunday shows - in some cases, dramatically so."[7] The American Spectator criticized the study's characterization of commentators such as Dan Rather as "neutral".[8]

A second analysis was released April 4, 2006 examining Sunday news programs from January through March 2006.[9] Media Matters reported: "Republican and conservative dominance continued unabated, as those from the right outnumbered Democrats and their progressive compatriots." Besides the political stance of the guests, "the Sunday shows feature panel discussions comprising conservative journalists and opinion writers "balanced" by reporters for mainstream news outlets—with no progressive journalist."

The third study was released July 20, 2006 concluding "Republicans and conservatives dominated on all three Sunday shows."[10][11] Media Matters stated that "Republicans and conservatives outnumbered Democrats and progressives in total guest appearances," more particularly Face the Nation "featured nearly twice as many Republicans and conservatives as Democrats and progressives during the second quarter."[10]

Analysis of syndicated editorial columns

On September 12, 2007, Media Matters released a study examining 1,377 U.S. newspapers and the 201 syndicated political columnists the papers carry on a regular basis. According to Media Matters, conservative pundits appear in three times as many papers reaching many more readers than progressives/liberals pundints.[12]

John Diaz, editorial page editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, said the study over factored the conservative columns in newspapers with smaller circulation; resulting in an over estimation of the representation of conservative columns in daily newspapers. Diaz also questioned the "pigeonholing" of columnists as conservative, progressive or centrist that obscured their ability to hold nuanced ideological positions.[13]

Misinformer of the Year

An annual feature on the Media Matters website is the title of "Misinformer of the Year," which is awarded to the journalist, commentator, and/or network which, in the opinion of Media Matters, was responsible for the most numerous and/or grievous factual errors and claims made when presenting a pro-conservative position.[14]

Founding

Media Matters initially received "more than $2 million in donations from wealthy liberals" with ties to the Democratic party (including Peter Lewis of Progressive Insurance, Steve Bing, Marcy Carsey,Susie Tompkins Buell,George Soros, Leo Hindrey, Gail Furman, and James Hormel) and "was developed with help from the newly formed Center for American Progress".[15][16][17] It also has received significant funding from MoveOn.org, and the New Democrat Network.[17][18] Media Matters denies having received any funding from George Soros.[19] A July 2006 article in the Washington Post stated that Media Matters was funded indirectly by Soros through the Democracy Alliance.[20] However, Media Matters has stated that they have "received no funding from the Democracy Alliance."[21]

Media Matters hired numerous political professionals who had worked for Democratic politicians and for other progressive groups.[22] [23] Former chief of staff to president Bill Clinton John Podesta provided office space for Media Matters early in its formation at the Center for American Progress, a Democratic think tank that he had created in 2002.[24] Hillary Clinton advised Media Matters in its early stages out of a belief that progressives should follow conservatives in forming think tanks and advocacy groups to support their political goals.[25] [26] A May 2004 article on Media Matters in the conservative National Review referred to MMfA staffers who had recently worked on the presidential campaigns of John Edwards and Wesley Clark, for Congressman Barney Frank, and for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.[27]

Reception and controversies

General reception

In 2008 Jacques Steinberg of The New York Times reported on how Media Matters is viewed. David Folkenflik of National Public Radio told him that though Media Matters looked "at every dangling participle, every dependent clause, every semicolon, every quotation" for the benefit of "a cause, a party, a candidate, that they may have some feelings for", they were still a useful source for leads, partly due to the "breadth of their research." Conversely, political analyst and columnist Stuart Rothenberg told Steinberg that he did not pay attention to them, as he had no confidence in "ideological stuff". In Steinberg's view, Media Matters was a new weapon for the Democratic party employing "rapid-fire, technologically sophisticated means to call out what it considers 'conservative misinformation' on air or in print, then feed it to a Rolodex of reporters, cable channels and bloggers hungry for grist." [16]

Some news organizations have cited Media Matters reports and credited it for bringing attention to issues including the story of James Guckert, formerly a reporter for the web-based Talon News. During George W. Bush's administration, Guckert gained fully credentialed access under the pseudonym of Jeff Gannon to over 200 White House press conferences, while he was concurrently a prostitute soliciting male clientele on the internet with photos of himself fully naked.[28] Progressive op-ed writers such as Molly Ivins and Paul Krugman have cited Media Matters or identified it as a helpful source.[29][30]

Tax exempt status

Radio talk show host Mark Levin thought Media Matters egregiously violated the tax code, while Byron York, without taking a position on Media Matters' tax status, or proposing changes to the tax code, noted that the law allowed non-profit political entities to "exploit" the code for political ends. Levin, while calling Media Matters' founder Brock and his researchers "loathsome hacks", said that Media Matters involvement in politics violated its tax exempt status - thereby making it "a criminal enterprise." York interpreted the tax code to mean that "Media Matters has to be nonpartisan, if not nonpolitical. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable institution." Without discussing whether or not Media Matters was a nonpartisan organization, York explained that this exemption had been "exploited, for many years by groups on both sides of the political divide."[31][32] York also said "it’s entirely possible that Brock and Media Matters are operating entirely within the laws that govern such institutions."[32]

AIM Afghan letter controversy

On August 19, 2005, a Media Matters' posting with the headline AIM's Kincaid posted "letter" from Afghan ambassador thanking him for petition to extradite Newsweek's Isikoff was objected to by its subject. Media Matters said Cliff Kincaid, editor for Accuracy in Media, presented an alleged copy of the letter, but noted that the contained only a "generic" thanks for the petitions without mention of Isikoff's extradition. Media Matters said that Kincaid's first posted copy of the letter bore "all the hallmarks of a do-it-yourself, cut-and-paste job." [33] In response Kincaid posted scanned images of the ambassador's actual letter and its attendant envelope. He accused Media Matters of defamation and criticized them for not contacting him regarding the story prior to publishing the posting the item.[34] Media Matters replied that Kincaid "misrepresented the original Media Matters item" and "failed to point out a single falsehood" while they did no more than point "out that the letter as posted on the America's Survival website consisted of separate elements cobbled together from various sources." Of Kincaid's explanation for making the original as he did was to avoid broadcasting his home address, Media Matters advised Kincaid to be more careful since another site of his had already made available his home address.[35]

Don Imus controversy

On April 4, 2007, Media Matters posted a video clip of Don Imus calling the Rutgers University women's basketball team members "nappy-headed hoes" and made their discovery known in Media Matters' daily emailing to hundreds of journalists. The next day, according to the Wall Street Journal, "top news outlets didn't mention the incident." But objections were made to CBS Radio by the National Association of Black Journalists. Consequently, Imus made an on-the-air apology. MSNBC called Imus's comments "racist" and "abhorrent" and suspended the show. Within minutes CBS did the same. The Wall Street Journal said Imus's apology "seemed to make matters worse, with critics latching on to Mr. Imus's use of the phrase 'you people.'" Those dissatisfied with Imus's apology and suspension included the coach of the Rutgers team and a group of MSNBC African-American employees. At this stage Procter & Gamble's pulled all of its advertising from MSNBC's daytime schedule while other advertisers, including General Motors and American Express clamored to cancel any upcoming advertising they had for "Imus in the Morning." Shortly thereafter MSNBC and CBS canceled Imus's show.[36]

"Phony soldiers" controversy

Main article: Phony soldiers controversy

On September, 27 2007, Media Matters published the audio and transcript of remarks made by talk radio host Rush Limbaugh under the headline "Limbaugh: Service members who support U.S. withdrawal are 'phony soldiers'".[37] Following Media Matters posting, Democratic congress members and senators, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid condemned Limbaugh's remarks. [38] The next day, September 28, Limbaugh accused Media Matters of "generated this story, fiction, out of context, did so knowingly" to attempt "a smear" of him with their own "phony story." [39]

Media Matters' broke the story of Limbaugh's September 26 broadcast showed Limbaugh disparaging with a caller Iraq war veterans opposed to the war as "the phony soldiers." Despite having used only plural references, on September 26, Limbaugh later said that he was speaking of only one soldier, Jesse MacBeth (who falsely claimed to have been decorated for valor but, in fact, never saw combat). Alleging that he had been smeared by Media Matters through out of context and selective editing of his comments, Limbaugh on September 28 republished what he said was "the entire transcript". Regardless of that claim, deleted from the Limbaugh's republished transcript was a discussion of over a minute and 30 seconds appearing between Limbaugh's "phony soldiers" comment and his mention of Macbeth. There was, Media Matters reported, no "notation or ellipsis to indicate that there is, in fact, a break in the transcript." [40] [41] Limbaugh told the National Review that the gap between referring to "phony soldiers" and MacBeth was a delay due to his staff printing out an ABC news story which reported on what it also called "phony soldiers", and that his transcript and audio edits were “for space and relevance reasons, not to hide anything.” [42]

The national media, including Associated Press, CNN and ABC reported on the controversy,[43] as political satirist and fictional pundit Stephen Colbert lampooned Limbaugh and his defenders saying: "Hey, Media Matters, you want to end offensive speech? Then stop recording it for people who would be offended."[44][45]

Bill O'Reilly Harlem restaurant controversy

In October 2007 television and radio host and commentator Bill O'Reilly said a Media Matters' posting with the headline O'Reilly surprised "there was no difference" between Harlem restaurant and other New York restaurants took out of context comments he made on his radio program regarding a pleasant dinner with the Rev. Al Sharpton at a Harlem restaurant.[46][47][48] O'Reilly said that the Media Matters piece put together two out of context comments that were initially spoken five minutes apart and presented them as one comment in an effort to mislead readers.[49] In an appearance on NBC's Today with Matt Lauer, Media Matters senior fellow Paul Waldman responded that they had included "the full audio, the full transcript, nothing was taken out of context."[50]

Dr Laura Schlessinger "N-word" controversy

Further information: Laura Schlessinger § Use of racial epithets, and Laura Schlessinger § Radio career

On August 12, 2010, Media Matters documented prominent radio host Dr Laura Schlessinger on August, 10 2010 saying "nigger" 11 times in discussion with an African-American woman while insisting a double standard determined who could say the word.[51] The day after the radio broadcast Schlessinger publicly apologized for using the epithet. In a joint statement with other organizations Media Matters said that though Schlessinger "attempted to apologize for using the epithet, the racist diatribe on Tuesday's show extends far beyond the use of a single word", and urged advertisers to boycott Schlessinger's show.[52] After General Motors, OnStar and Motel 6 pulled their advertising, Schlessinger said she would let the contract for her radio show expire at the end of 2010; suggesting she would become more active on the internet.[51][53]

Schlessinger said the boycott was a "usual" tactic of Media Matters, which she said "exists for the sole purpose of silencing people." Schlessinger also insisted that she had lost her First Amendment right to free speech due to "the threat of attack on my advertisers and stations."[54][55][56] Media Matters said the First Amendment did not apply since the boycott was not "government-sanctioned censorship", and that her "commentary isn't immune from speech and actions which may run in a contrary direction."[57]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Who We Are". Media Matters for America. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
  2. ^ Bruni, Frank (2002-03-24). "Sorry About That". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
  3. ^ "About Media Matters". Media Matters for America. Retrieved November 29, 2005.
  4. ^ Media Matters
  5. ^ Media Matters for America | Networks & Publications
  6. ^ MMfA has used the Government Accountability Office in make fact-checking articles. For example, GMA, CNN, print media fail to challenge Bush's missile defense claim. Pentagon reports have been used to debunk claims of WMD claims, such as Hannity criticized media, Bush administration...
  7. ^ "If It's Sunday, It's Conservative". Media Matters for America. February 14, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-04.
  8. ^ Tabin, John (2006-02-21). "Garbage In, Garbage Out, Continued". AmSpec Blog. The American Spectator. Retrieved 2010-05-24.
  9. ^ "If It's Sunday, It's Still Conservative". Media Matters for America. April 4, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-04.
  10. ^ a b Third time's not the charm: Sunday-morning talk shows still imbalanced. Media Matters for America, July 20, 2006
  11. ^ "Media Watch: Sunday Morning Blues?". Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  12. ^ "Black and White and Re(a)d All Over: The Conservative Advantage in Syndicated Op-Ed Columnists". Media Matters for America. September 12, 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-04.
  13. ^ "John Diaz An Editor's Note / Beyond the right-left labels". The San Francisco Chronicle. 2007-09-30.
  14. ^ "Misinformer of the Year: Bill O'Reilly of Fox News Channel". Media Matters for America. December 23, 2004. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
  15. ^ Rutenberg, Jim (May 3, 2004). "New Internet Site Turns Critical Eyes and Ears to the Right". The New York Times. p. A21. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  16. ^ a b Steinberg, Jacques (October 31, 2008). "An All-Out Attack on 'Conservative Misinformation'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-17. ...Media Matters for America, the nonprofit, highly partisan research organization that was founded four years ago by David Brock, a formerly conservative author who has since gone liberal. Ripping a page from an old Republican Party playbook, Media Matters has given the Democrats a weapon they have not had in previous campaigns: a rapid-fire, technologically sophisticated means to call out what it considers conservative misinformation on air or in print, then feed it to a Rolodex of reporters, cable channels and bloggers hungry for grist. ... The group has an annual operating budget of more than $10 million -- up from $3 million in 2004 -- much of it donated by wealthy individuals with ties to the Democratic Party, including Peter B. Lewis, chairman of Progressive Insurance; Steve Bing, a movie producer; and Marcy Carsey, a television producer. Cite error: The named reference "NYTProfile" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  17. ^ a b York, Byron (2004-05-28). "David Brock is Buzzing Again". National Review. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  18. ^ VandeHei, Jim (2006-07-17). "A New Alliance of Democrats Spreads Funding; But Some in Party Bristle At Secrecy and Liberal Tilt". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved 2010-04-17.
  19. ^ "Drudge falsely claimed Soros funds Media Matters". Media Matters for America. 2007-11-03.
  20. ^ "A New Alliance Of Democrats Spreads Funding". Media Matters for America. 2006-07-17.
  21. ^ "Wash. Times op-ed expanded on O'Reilly's false attacks on Soros and Media Matters". Media Matters for America. 2007-05-09.
  22. ^ York, Byron (2004-05-28). "David Brock Is Buzzing Again". Retrieved 2010-07-01.
  23. ^ Rothstein, Betsy (2008-11-03). "Fighting ire with fire". The Hill. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  24. ^ Thrush, Glenn (2006-09-07). "Switching allegiances". Newsday.
  25. ^ Thrush, Glenn (2006-09-07). "Switching allegiances". Newsday. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  26. ^ Todd, Chuck (2007-11-15). "Calling Out Media Matters' Bias". MSNBC. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
  27. ^ "Byron York on David Brock and Media Matters on National Review Online". Retrieved 2010-05-01. Launched in early May, the organization says its purpose is to keep an eye on "conservative misinformation" in the American media. "Conservative misinformation," according to the group's mission statement, is defined as "news or commentary presented in the media that is not accurate, reliable, or credible, and that forwards the conservative agenda." ... staff at times resembles that of a political campaign. In the group's K Street offices, there are a number of veterans of Democratic causes. One Brock aide did opposition research for the recent presidential campaign of Sen. John Edwards; another did the same thing for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; yet another worked on the Wesley Clark presidential campaign; another worked for Massachusetts Democratic representative Barney Frank, and so on.
  28. ^ "Web CEO in midst of political scandal | Technology News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle". Retrieved 2010-05-20. That sparked the curiosity of Media Matters for America (mediamatters.org), a Web site that monitors conservative media. The group began scrutinizing Gannon, learning that his real name is James Guckert and saying that his stories were largely regurgitated White House press releases and his questions in White House briefings were softballs.
  29. ^ "CNN.com - Molly Ivins: Developments in journalism's frontier - May 11, 2006". CNN.
  30. ^ Krugman, Paul (2010-04-30). "The Oil Spill Is Obama's Fault". The New York Times.
  31. ^ ""John Gibson and Mark Levin Rip Media Matters on Liberal Bias Lies"".
  32. ^ a b ""Levin raises straw man in attack on Media Matters"". 2008-11-14.
  33. ^ "AIM's Kincaid posted "letter" from Afghan ambassador thanking him for petition to extradite Newsweek's Isikoff". Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  34. ^ "Reply from Cliff Kinciad". Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  35. ^ "Kincaid denounced "false" Media Matters item but failed to point out a single falsehood". Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  36. ^ Barnes, Brooks; et al. (April 13, 2007). "Behind the Fall of Imus, A Digital Brush Fire". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2007-09-09. {{cite news}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |first= (help)
  37. ^ "Limbaugh: Service members who support U.S. withdrawal are "phony soldiers"". Media Matters. 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
  38. ^ "Top Democrat blasts Limbaugh for 'phony soldiers' comment". CNN Politics.com. October 01, 2007. Retrieved 2010-08-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ "The Anatomy of a Smear: "Phony Soldiers" Is a Phony Story". Media Matters. September 28, 2007. Retrieved 2010-08-16.
  40. ^ "Limbaugh falsely recasts "phony soldiers" smear". Media Matters. September 28, 2007. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  41. ^ "Limbaugh selectively edited "phony soldiers" clip, claimed it was "the entire transcript"". Media Matters. September 28, 2007. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  42. ^ "Limbaugh Makes His Case". The National Review Online. October 03, 2007. Retrieved 2010-08-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  43. ^ "Rush Limbaugh Comments Spark Outrage". The National Review Online. October 03, 2007. Retrieved 2010-08-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  44. ^ "Colbert: "Hey, Media Matters, you want to end offensive speech? Then stop recording it for people who would be offended."". Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  45. ^ Howard, Adam (September 10, 2007). "Colbert on Why Media Matters Makes Life Hard for Limbaugh". AlterNet. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  46. ^ "Media Matters: O'Reilly surprised "there was no difference" between Harlem restaurant and other New York restaurants". Retrieved 2010-08-01.
  47. ^ Bauder, David (2007-09-26). "Bill O'Reilly Says He's Being Smeared". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  48. ^ "CNN Goes Over to the Dark Side". Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  49. ^ "Media Matters and the Corrupt Press on the Run". Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  50. ^ "Media Matters' Waldman: "[I]f Bill O'Reilly got caught robbing a bank he would say he was taken out of context"". Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  51. ^ a b http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/arts/television/19laura.html
  52. ^ UNITY Journalists of Color represents the following Member Associations: National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), Asian-American Journalist Association (AAJA), Native American Journalist Association (NAJA).
  53. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/08/17/doctor.laura.ends.show
  54. ^ http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201008190001
  55. ^ http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/dr-laura-schlessinger-media-matters-imus-fox-nword/2010/08/18/id/367864
  56. ^ http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1008/17/lkl.01.html
  57. ^ http://mediamatters.org/blog/201008190052
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