Media Matters for America

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Screenshot from Media Matters for America (Jan 6, 2006)
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Screenshot from Media Matters for America (Jan 6, 2006)
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Media Matters for America, founded in 2004 by formerly conservative journalist and author David Brock, is an American organization which hosts a website featuring watchdog journalism. 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." Media Matters defines conservative misinformation as news or commentary presented in the media that is not accurate, reliable, or credible and that forwards the conservative agenda."[1] Media Matters scrutinizes news reporting and political commentary that it perceives to have a conservative bias. Conservative commentators such as Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, as well as self-described independent Bill O'Reilly are often targets, but reporting from mainstream news outlets is also scrutinized.

Contents

[edit] Research Work

Media Matters for America uses a variety of techniques to demonstrate how they believe information is manipulated by right-wing media figures. Employing methods such as 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, MMfA provides daily analysis to its readers.[2]

Media Matters analyzes the dominant American news sources. Networks reviewed include NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, and FOX News Channel. Newspapers that are subject to scrutiny include The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New York Post, The Washington Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. Journalists and personalities investigated by Media Matters include Bill O'Reilly, Brit Hume, Neil Cavuto, John Gibson, Shepard Smith, Chris Matthews, Joe Scarborough, Tucker Carlson, Wolf Blitzer, Lou Dobbs, and Glenn Beck. The group also monitors conservative talk-show hosts and commentators such as Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, and Pat Robertson.

[edit] Examples of Media Matters content

  • Guantánamo—"[A]s Media Matters for America documents below, conservative media figures have often attempted to downplay the severity of the alleged abuses at Guantánamo, dismiss every detainee as a terrorist unprotected by international law, and distort criticism of the Bush administration's detention policy."[3]

[edit] Analysis of conservative bias in weekend television commentary

On February 14, 2006 the organization published 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]

A second anaylsis was published April 4, 2006 examining Sunday news programs from January thru March 2006.[8] 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."[9] 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." [9]

[edit] Misinformer of the Year

An annual feature on the Media Matters website is the title of "Misinformer of the Year," which goes out to the journalist and/or commentator responsible for the most grievous factual errors and claims. In 2004, the title was given to FOX News anchor Bill O'Reilly; in 2005, the title was given to MSNBC's Chris Matthews.

[edit] Affiliations

[edit] Chapters

In July 2006, Media Matters for America launched its first state chapter, Colorado Media Matters. Media Matters recruited Colorado natives to run Colorado Media Matters and to analyze the local state media using the original Media Matters' research techniques. Outlets being scutinized by Colorado Media Matters include the Rocky Mountain News, The Denver Post, The Colorado Springs Gazette, KCNC-TV (CBS -- Denver), KMGH-TV (ABC -- Denver), KUSA-TV (NBC -- Denver), KDVR-TV (FOX -- Denver), and KBDI-TV (PBS -- Denver).

[edit] Funding sources

Soon after its founding, Media Matters was criticized for accepting funding from partisan sources. In May 2004, the New York Times reported that Media Matters has received "more than $2 million in donations from wealthy liberals" and "was developed with help from the newly formed Center for American Progress".[10] On Dec. 1, 2004 Media Matters issued a statement saying that "neither Media Matters nor its president and CEO David Brock has received any money from [George] Soros or from any organization with which he is affiliated." Three months later, it revised this statement by acknowledging support from organizations and individuals aligned with or funded by Soros such as moveon.org, Peter Lewis and the New Democratic Network, but denying direct funding by Soros himself. [11]

Media Matters for America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ "About Media Matters". Media Matters. Retrieved on November 29, 2005.
  2. ^ 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...
  3. ^ Media Matters for America (2005-06-23). Top five Gitmo falsehoods. Press release. Retrieved on 2005-11-29.
  4. ^ Media Matters for America (2004-09-15). Limbaugh again falsely accused Harkin of "trying to get my program taken off" American Forces Radio; falsely claimed NPR balances him out. Press release. Retrieved on 2005-11-29.
  5. ^ Media Matters for America (2006-05-01). Olbermann hosted authors of Sweet Jesus, I Hate Bill O'Reilly. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
  6. ^ Media Matters for America (2006-04-27). Olbermann named O'Reilly "Worst Person" for establishing "Hall of Shame" for media that "smear" him. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
  7. ^ If It's Sunday, It's Conservative: An analysis of the Sunday talk show guests on ABC, CBS, and NBC, 1997 - 2005. ]. Media Matters for America, Feb 14, 2006.
  8. ^ If It's Sunday, It's Still Conservative. Media Matters for America, Apr 4, 2006.
  9. ^ a b Third time's not the charm: Sunday-morning talk shows still imbalanced. Media Matters for America, July 20, 2006
  10. ^ Rutenberg, Jim. "New Internet Site Turns Critical Eyes and Ears to the Right", New York Times, May 3, 2004, p. A21.
  11. ^ David Brock Group Backpedals on Soros Funding

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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