| Center for Media and Democracy | |
|---|---|
Non-profit investigative reporting group |
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| Website | |
| prwatch.org |
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) is a liberal[1][2] organization investigative reporting group. The CMD gives analysis and opinion on policies such as the economy, environment and national security. They promote citizen journalism and aim to expose corporate spin and government propaganda.[3]
Contents |
It was founded in 1993 by environmentalist writer and political activist John Stauber in Madison, Wisconsin, and has been run by Lisa Graves since the 2009 retirement of Stauber. Graves is the former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice and Chief Counsel for Nominations for the chair of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.[4] CMD states it is a "national, independent, non-partisan public interest newsgroup".[5]
On July 13, 2011,[6] the CMD leaked 800 documents on the expose of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC is a policy organization that supports the Jeffersonian principles of free markets, limited government, federalism, and individual liberty. [7] The CMD claims that: "ALEC is not a lobby; it is not a front group. It is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, behind closed doors, corporations hand state legislators the changes to the law they desire that directly benefit their bottom line." [8] The CMD collaborated with the website TheNation.com who analyzed the leaked documents to help make these discoveries. TheNation.com editor Katrina vanden Heuvel said on the findings, "ALEC Exposed—a joint project by The Nation and the Center for Media and Democracy—offers a never-before-seen look at the origins of the rightwing legislative assault on labor, education, healthcare and voting rights in states across the country. It is an important reminder to refocus on the battle to loosen the grip of corporate America and renew democracy in the states."
The key findings from the ALEC expose were [8]:
CMD publishes PR Watch, "Food Rights Network", SourceWatch, and BanksterUSA.org. The SourceWatch website, is a Wiki, which is described as a collaborative project to produce a directory of public relations firms, think tanks, industry-funded organizations and industry-friendly experts that work to influence public opinion and public policy on behalf of corporations, governments and advocacy groups.[9]
BanksterUSA.org states that it wishes “to be your go-to site for updates on the financial services re-regulation fight in Congress and for progressive net-roots campaigning against the big boys on Wall Street.” BanksterUSA.org has received $200,000 by the Open Society Institute, the charity with ties to investor George Soros. [9]
The CMD states that it doesn't accept corporate, labor union or government grants, and only accepts donations from individuals and philanthropic foundations. It also maintains a lists of financial supporters on its website.[10][11]
In September 2011, the CMD won the Sidney Award for their ALEC Exposed piece. "A Look Into the Secretive Collaboration Between Corporations and Politicians on State Legislation".[12]