Media Matters: How They Deceive and Why It Matters (Lila Rose)

bigjournalism.com ^ | Apr 1st 2011 | Lee Stranahan

[bronxville]

Media Matters: How They Deceive and Why It Matters Posted by Lee Stranahan Apr 1st 2011

Yesterday, I did a piece showing how Media Matters used deceptive editing techniques on the Fox / Bill Sammon story. I’m still waiting to hear back from Sammon before I do part two but I wanted to show you a couple of more videos that I’ve done in the meantime.

The first one shows how Media Matters used the ‘straw man’ fallacy to attempt to discredit the piece published by Lila Rose yesterday on the Mammosham story. As I say in the video, your position on the controversial issue of abortion doesn’t really matter here – Media Matters are contemptible news twisters.

But – who cares? So Media Matters lies. You know that so why does it matter? That’s what my second video is about. It matter because they have influence on the media narrative today and through the effective use of SEO techniques, they are also writing tomorrow’s ‘history book.’ Watch and see what I mean.

http://bigjournalism.com/lstranahan/2011/04/01/media-matters-how-they-deceive-and-why-it-matters/#more-181820

Videos at site.

[bronxville]

According to the New York Times, Media Matters initially received “more than $2 million in donations from wealthy liberals” with ties to the Democratic party (including Peter Lewis, Steve Bing, Marcy Carsey, Susie Tompkins Buell, Leo Hindrey, Gail Furman, and James Hormel).[17][18][19] Byron York said Media Matters received an unspecified amount of funding from MoveOn.org, and the New Democrat Network.[19]

In 2004 Media Matters received the endorsement of the Democracy Alliance. Though the Alliance does not make direct donations to organizations, its endorsement resulted in direct donations to MMfA from Alliance members.[20][21][22]

In October 2010 Alliance founding member George Soros announced his first donation to Media Matters, saying

“Despite repeated assertions to the contrary by various Fox News commentators, I have not to date been a funder of Media Matters.” Soros said concern over “recent evidence suggesting that the incendiary rhetoric of Fox News hosts may incite violence” moved him to donate $1 million to Media Matters, which thanked Soros for announcing his donation “quickly and transparently.”

Politico reported that Media Matters’ policy of not comprehensively listing its donors was unchanged.[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]

Media Matters hired numerous political professionals who had worked for Democratic politicians and for other progressive groups.[27][28] In 2004 article on Media Matters the 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.[29]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Matters_for_America

[bronxville]

- In October 2010 Alliance founding member George Soros announced his first donation to Media Matters, saying - “Despite repeated assertions to the contrary by various Fox News commentators, I have not to date been a funder of Media Matters.” Soros said concern over “recent evidence suggesting that the incendiary rhetoric of Fox News hosts may incite violence” moved him to donate $1 million to Media Matters, which thanked Soros for announcing his donation “quickly and transparently.” - (he forgot to add that he funds moveon who in turn funds media matters.) This ad happened to come out at approx the same time Soros gave them them the big bucks...coincidental? heh

[Fido969]

People say “Who listens to Media Matters?” Well, the MSM does.

[cripplecreek]

Fecal Matters is the public wing of the leftwing propaganda machine. The covert stuff is where the real damage is done.

[skimask]

This lie machine is what the so called reality based community use as a major source for "The Truth".

I truly believe that liberalism is a mental disorder. That thought is backed up by the fact that a so many of them are constantly medicated. They always come up with an illness that can't be proven or dis proven.

[bronxville]

And it appears NPR David Folkenflik cites and credits Media Matters as well...another reason they’re falling down the drain (with our tax dollars) into obscurity...

In 2008 Jacques Steinberg of The New York Times reported on how Media Matters is viewed. DAVID FOLKENFLIK of National Public Radio (NPR) 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.”[31]

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 access under the pseudonym of Jeff Gannon to 155 White House press briefings, while he was concurrently a prostitute soliciting male clientele on the internet with photos of himself fully naked.[32]

Progressive op-ed writers such as MOLLY IVINS and PAUL KRUGMAN have cited Media Matters or identified it as a helpful source.[33][34]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Matters_for_America

It would be interesting to follow up which stories and author they cited at Media Matters...

[bronxville]

NPR Ombudsman Q&A -

How many of my tax dollars go to NPR?

NPR RECEIVES NO DIRECT FUNDING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. Less than two percent of the budget is derived from competitive grants from federally funded organizations such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Science Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts.
continued at -
http://www.npr.org/blogs/ombudsman/2008/01/frequently_asked_questions_1.html

One complete sentence misleading sentence...no wonder their reporters cite media matters as a source. It’s like Soros saying he never gave to Media Matters before 2010.

[bronxville]

Please read as - One complete and misleading sentence.

[bronxville]

I’ve come to believe they’re actually taught how to mislead and misinform.

[bronxville]

Retired Site

The “Media Matters” site has been retired from pbs.org.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/mediamatters/

Did Media Matters have a blog at PBS?

[bronxville]

Did Media Matters actually have a blog at PBC?
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/mediamatters/

[Liz]

MEDIA MATTERS MONEY LAUNDERING SCHEME
How they move money around

[Liz]

Money Laundering Scheme Exposed: 14 Pro-Clinton Super PACs & Non-Profits Implicated
zerohedge.com ^ | Sep 20, 2016 / Posted by Helicondelta

David Brock has 7 non-profits, 3 Super PACs, one 527-committee, one LLC, one joint fundraising committee, and one unregistered solicitor crammed into his office in Washington DC. Uncovered records expose a constant flow of money between these organizations. The Bonner Group, his professional solicitor, works off a commission. Every time money gets passed around, Bonner receives a 12.5% cut.

Follow the money----- Say, for example, you donate $1,062,857 to Media Matters for America.
This is how David Brock would have used your charitable donation in 2014:
1- Media Matters would receive your $1,062,857 donation
The Bonner Group would earn a $132,857 commission
Media Matters would retain $930,000

2- Next, Media Matters would give what’s left of your entire donation, $930,000, to the Franklin Education Forum
The Bonner Group would ‘earn’ a $116,250 commission
The Franklin Education Forum would retain $813,750

3- The Franklin Education Forum would then forward the remaining $813,750 to The Franklin Forum
The Bonner Group would ‘earn’ a $101,718 commission
The Franklin Forum would retain $712,031

In the end, Brock’s solicitor would have pocketed $350,825, almost a third of your initial donation! That’s a far cry from the advertised 12.5% commission.