- Another reason why the press is not fair and balanced.
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According to recent polls, the news media has been taking a pounding in terms of losing credibility with the American public. People no longer trust the press as they see it as nothing more than a cog in an ideology machine as opposed to a trustworthy source of unbiased information. From this, the concept of "fake News" has emerged, causing people to look for news from other outlets, such as social media, which is also not necessarily the most reliable.
As if the press isn't bad enough by itself, there are other forces at play to manipulate the public's perception of news, namely media watchdogs on the Internet, scrutinizing both liberal and conservative voices. With the exception of MRC, these organizations are not members of the press but rather keep a close eye on news related television and radio personalities. Their intent is to note and refute the stories of the opposition. In their own unique way, they spin the spin of the news media, thereby clouding the accuracy of news even further.
Four such institutions come to mind, two pro-liberal, and two pro-conservative:
MEDIA MATTERS (Liberal)
According to its web site, "Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media." Launched in 2004 by political commentator David Brock, Media Matters was started with funding from sympathizers of the Democratic party, such as George Soros and MoveOn.org.
According to its web site, "Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media." Launched in 2004 by political commentator David Brock, Media Matters was started with funding from sympathizers of the Democratic party, such as George Soros and MoveOn.org.
In addition to analyzing conservative stories, Media Matters helps organize boycotts of conservative news shows, such as the recent push against Sean Hannity. In their May 23, 2017 report, they describe the Fox News talk show host as "a professional propagandist for President Donald Trump, as well as a bigot, a sexist, and a conspiracy theorist."
Although Media Matters avoids the use of the word "boycott," there is no doubt as to their intent. They list Hannity's advertisers, as well as those they claim will no longer advertise on his show. Whether the lists shown are accurate or not is anyone's guess, but it is obvious they would like to see Hannity gone.
FAIR - Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (Liberal)
Started in 1984, FAIR is another 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded by Jeff Cohen and Martin A. Lee, with roots in academia. On its web site, FAIR also describes itself as a "national media watch group," and openly defines themselves as a "progressive group." FAIR appears to be more bullish in terms of protecting 1st Amendment Rights than Media Matters, claiming to be anti-censorship.
Started in 1984, FAIR is another 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded by Jeff Cohen and Martin A. Lee, with roots in academia. On its web site, FAIR also describes itself as a "national media watch group," and openly defines themselves as a "progressive group." FAIR appears to be more bullish in terms of protecting 1st Amendment Rights than Media Matters, claiming to be anti-censorship.
In addition to written stories, FAIR produces a weekly podcast, "Counterspin," to discuss media topics. The broadcast is professionally prepared, but critical of President Trump and conservative causes. Donations to FAIR are tax-deductible.
MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER (MRC) (Conservative)
Launched in 1987 by political commentator L. Brent Bozell III, a nephew of the late William F. Buckley, Jr, MRC claims its sole mission is "to expose and neutralize the propaganda arm of the Left: the national news media." On its web page, the company claims to receive "no government grants or contracts nor do we have an endowment. We raise our funds each year from individuals, foundations, and corporations."
Launched in 1987 by political commentator L. Brent Bozell III, a nephew of the late William F. Buckley, Jr, MRC claims its sole mission is "to expose and neutralize the propaganda arm of the Left: the national news media." On its web page, the company claims to receive "no government grants or contracts nor do we have an endowment. We raise our funds each year from individuals, foundations, and corporations."
MRC has blossomed over the years to include several arms, including: cnsnews.com, mrcNewsBusters, mrcBusiness, mrcCulture, mrcLatino, mrcTV, and mrcAction, all of which aimed at debunking liberal bias in the media.
MEDIA EQUALIZER (Conservative)
The newcomer of the media critics. Founded in 2014 by Brian Maloney and Melanie Morgan, two West Coast newscasters, Media Equalizer produces a blog and claims to be readying a new media channel over the Internet. Their forte is responding to liberal criticisms of conservative talk radio.
The newcomer of the media critics. Founded in 2014 by Brian Maloney and Melanie Morgan, two West Coast newscasters, Media Equalizer produces a blog and claims to be readying a new media channel over the Internet. Their forte is responding to liberal criticisms of conservative talk radio.
All of this represents a unique situation where liberals and conservatives analyze the opposition in the hopes of holding them accountable for their political reporting. Their criticism of the opposition is often used to form talking points. Aside from this, it is not uncommon for them to try and rally their readers to oppose specific news entities, either by boycott or by writing refutations of politicians and news personalities. All of this adds to the static of the news thereby making it difficult to ascertain legitimate stories and analysis and, as a result, further diminishing the public trust of the press.
Some time ago, I wrote about "The Liberal Playbook," describing the tools on the Internet used by the Left to organize their resistance movement. The liberal media watch institutions mentioned herein are also an important part of this. It also appears the liberals are being more effective in their use of such facilities than their conservative counterparts.
Surprisingly, the general public has no idea such institutions exist, but they represent an important reason why we no longer trust the news being presented to us. If news was truly fair and balanced, such web sites would never have emerged. The fact that they do exist not only suggests a problem does indeed exist within the press, but compounds the problem further.
Also published in The Huffington Post.
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 40 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
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