Media Matters

Media Matters is a Washington, DC-based organization that is part of the family of left-wing groups funded by the Democracy Alliance.

Open Letter to the Biden-Harris Administration: Treating Disinformation as an Intersectional Threat

Media Matters signed a letter spearheaded by Accountable Tech headlined Open Letter to the Biden-Harris Administration: Treating Disinformation as an Intersectional Threat urging Joe Biden to "treat disinformation as a fundamental and intersectional threat" and proposes a range of supposed remedies to suppress speech on social media platforms, create and bolster federal government agencies to deal with "disinformation" and further to actively indoctrinate Americans, particularly in public schools.

Funding the Resistance

In March 2017, The Daily Beast reporter Lachlan Markay wrote about Media Matters as a "prominent liberal group" which is "running high-level campaigns opposing the Trump White House and Republican policies at the federal level."

"Democracy Alliance-backed organizations include some of the most prominent liberal groups currently running high-level campaigns opposing the Trump White House and Republican policies at the federal level.

"Those include the Center for American Progress, a liberal policy shop that has turned its 501(c)(4) arm into an anti-Trump “war room,” and Media Matters, a media-focused rapid response group that has recently retooled its efforts toward “fake news” and pro-Trump disinformation.

About

Media Matters was launched in May 2004 and is a web-based, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission of:

"comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media."

Drop Fox Campaign

On Oct. 20, 2010, Media Matters partnered with People for the American Way to launch its "Drop Fox" project. The project is "calling on advertisers to drop Fox News or risk being complicit in the network's promotion of Glenn Beck's dangerous extremism." Media Matters founder and CEO, David Brock stated,

"Despite hundreds of sponsors refusing to advertise on Glenn Beck's program, Fox continues to provide him a platform for unhinged rhetoric and blatant lies that have real, and potentially deadly, consequences. That's why targeting Glenn Beck's advertisers is no longer enough -- we need to hold the entire network and its sponsors accountable. Advertisers need to be aware that they are funding a network that promotes a climate of fear and suspicion that could lead to another Oklahoma City."

Tides Center CEO and founder Drummond Pike reiterated these sentiments in his open letter to advertisers on Fox:

"On behalf of my organization, and many others like it, I ask that you cease advertising on the Fox News Channel... I respectfully request that you bring this matter of your company's sponsorship of hate speech leading to violence to the attention of your fellow directors as soon as possible. I believe no responsible company should advertise on Fox News due to its recent and on-going deplorable conduct... This is not a partisan issue. It's an American issue. No one, left, right or center, wants to see another Oklahoma City. The next "assassin" may succeed, and if so, there will be blood on many hands. The choice is yours. Please join my call to do the right thing in this regard and put Fox News at arm's length from your company by halting your advertising with them."

Staff/Bloggers/Executives

The following people work for, have worked for or serve in an advisory capacity to Media Matters as staff, bloggers, or executives:

• Tom Allison
• Lauren Auerbach
• Duncan Black
• Eric Boehlert
• David Brock
• Eric Burns
• Matthew Butler
• Catherine Chen
• Ben Dimiero
• Hannah Dreier
• Lukas Eklund
• Rachel Evans
• Karen Famighetti
• Carolyn Fiddler
• Matt Finklestein
• Ben Fishel
• Jocelyn Fong
• Jamison Foser
• Brian Frederick
• Karl Frisch
• Drew Gardner
• Matthew Gertz
• Todd Gregory
• Eric Hananoki
• Jeff Harrell
• Brad Herring
• Brandon Hersh
• Xochitl Hinojosa
• Ilyse Hogue
• Jeremy Holden
• David Hughes
• Annelies Husman
• Erikka Knuti
• Terry Krepel
• Marcia Kuntz
• Alex Lawson
• Jessica Levin
• Greg Lewis
• Sarah Loff
• Simon Maloy
• Sarah Martin
• Pilar Martinez
• Dan Mayer
• Matt McLaughlin
• Julie Millican
• Phil Mione
• Katie Paris
• Dianna Parker
• Sarah Pavlus
• Georgina Petronella
• David Pirotte
• Ari Rabin-Havt
• Ned Resnikoff
• Kelly Ronan
• Chelsea Rudman
• Rob Savillo
• Eric Schroeck
• Jeremy Schulman
• Raphael Schweber-Koren
• Chrissy Schwen
• Andrew Seifter
• Adam Shah
• Damien Shirley
• Richard Socarides
• Kaitlyn Soligan
• Doug Stauffer
• Corey Strischek
• Joe Strupp
• Rose Survine-Wesley
• Nathan Tabak
• Shauna Theel
• Trevor Thomas
• Solange Uwimana
• Mandy Vlasz
• A.J. Walzer
• Melinda Warner
• Morgan Weiland
• Pete Welsch
• Tate Williams
• Oliver Willis
• Lily Yan

Books/Publications

• MediaMatters.org, Misstating the State of the Union: Right-wing media distortions about the Clinton and Bush presidencies, Akashic Books, October 2004, ISBN 1888451807

Related:

• David Brock, The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy, Crown, 2004, ISBN 1400048753
• David Brock and Paul Waldman, Free Ride: John McCain and the Media, Anchor, March 2008. ISBN 0307279405

Contact Details

Media Matters for America
455 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Suite 600
Washington DC 20001

Telephone: 202-756-4100
Fax: 202-318-0836

Website: http://mediamatters.org/
RSS Feed: http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/latest.rss

External links

• Media Matters website