Media Matters for America
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- Media Matters is also the name of a radio program hosted by Robert W. McChesney.
Media Matters for America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2004 by formerly conservative (now liberal) journalist and author David Brock; it is an organization that hosts a website featuring watchdog journalism. Media Matters for America 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 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."[1]
Media Matters scrutinizes news reporting and political commentary that it perceives to contain conservative distortions or falsehoods. 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.
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[edit] Research Work
Media Matters uses a variety of techniques to demonstrate how it believes 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, Sean Hannity, 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.
Media Matters also posts video clips. For example, they host clips of Keith Olbermann, from MSNBC's show "Countdown," criticizing Bill O'Reilly for O'Reilly's propensity for making factual errors and gaffes in his reporting.[3][4]
[edit] Analysis of 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."[5] The American Spectator later criticized this study for allegedly characterizing "progressive" commentators as "neutral" in its underlying methodogy.[6]
A second analysis was published April 4, 2006 examining Sunday news programs from January through March 2006.[7] 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."[8] 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." [8]
[edit] 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, is responsible for the most numerous and/or grievous factual errors and claims. The complete list of awardees of "Misinformer of the Year" is as follows:
- 2004 -- FOX News Channel's Bill O'Reilly
- 2005 -- MSNBC's Chris Matthews
- 2006 -- ABC, specifically ABC News director Mark Halperin and the Path to 9/11 miniseries[9]
[edit] Criticism
On August 19, 2005, Media Matters posted an item regarding a letter that Cliff Kincaid, editor from the media watchdog organization Accuracy in Media, said he had received from an Afghan ambassador. Media Matters wrote that the letter was not a scanned document and that it "bears all the hallmarks of a do-it-yourself, cut-and-paste job."[10] Within hours of the post, Kincaid posted scanned images of the letter and envelope he said he had received, and wrote that Media Matters had accused him of "having fabricated or forged a letter from the Ambassador of Afghanistan."[11] Media Matters then issued a subsequent post stating that Kincaid "misrepresented the original Media Matters item” in which they "simply pointed out that the letter as posted on the America's Survival website consisted of separate elements cobbled together from various sources."[12]
[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
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".[13] Media Matters has received financial support from moveon.org, Peter Lewis and the New Democratic Network.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ "About Media Matters". Media Matters for America. Retrieved on November 29, 2005.
- ^ 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...
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "If It's Sunday, It's Conservative", Media Matters for America, February 14, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
- ^ Tabin, John (2006-02-21). Garbage In, Garbage Out, Continued. AmSpec Blog. The American Spectator. Retrieved on 2007-01-30.
- ^ "If It's Sunday, It's Still Conservative", Media Matters for America, April 4, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
- ^ a b Third time's not the charm: Sunday-morning talk shows still imbalanced. Media Matters for America, July 20, 2006
- ^ "Misinformer of the Year: ABC", Media Matters for America, December 22, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-14.
- ^ Media Matters, August 19, 2005
- ^ Reply from Cliff Kinciad
- ^ [http://mediamatters.org/items/200508220008 Media Matters, August 22, 2005
- ^ Rutenberg, Jim. "New Internet Site Turns Critical Eyes and Ears to the Right", New York Times, May 3, 2004, p. A21.
[edit] See also
- Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting - Politically progressive/liberal media monitoring group similar to Media Matters
- Media Research Center - Another media watch site on the opposite end of the spectrum monitoring alleged liberal bias in the media.
- Journalism ethics and standards
- List of progressive organizations
- Media bias
- Media bias in the United States
