Can We Please Stop Pretending Media Matters Is a Legitimate News Source?

One of Obama's favorite news outlets has been busted, again.

Reposted from the Stir

Originally posted by Jenny Erikson

on February 13, 2012 at 9:16 PM

On Sunday night, The Daily Caller published a piece exposing Media Matters for America (MMFA) as the hypocritical, liberal rag that it is.

Hey, there’s nothing wrong with being biased. What is wrong is being biased, and then pretending not to be.

From MMFA’s very own website: 

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.

Say what now? Is there really, in America, a nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to combat the views of one particular political party? I’ve done a lot of work for ‘conservative’ nonprofits, and let me tell you that there are lawyers galore involved to make sure that nothing representing the company is blatantly right or left winged. 

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I’ve seen the struggle from inside, to share information without conforming to one party or another, yet the rules don’t seem to apply to MMFA. The very first paragraph in their ‘about’ section openly states that their purpose to fight conservative lies. 

There is nothing wrong with starting a watchdog company to monitor politics. There is nothing wrong with the first amendment, which guarantees the right to free speech. How amazing is it to live in a country where we can speak our minds without fear of governmental retribution?

However, there is something very wrong when such a company is entitled to the special benefits provided by being a 501(c)(3). 

MMFA is a conspicuously liberal organization with a goal of shutting up those that disagree with them. This is a group that meets regularly with the Obama White House, feeds talking points to the mainstream media, and threatens reporters that refuse to report upon their half-truths. 

This is an organization that says supporters of the second amendment are paranoid, yet their leader makes sure his bodyguard packs heat. Who’s paranoid now?

I’m completely ok with MMFA existing – I don’t agree with anything they have to say, but in the spirit of the free press, they’re welcome to say it. But they are not a legitimate news source with unbiased material, and they certainly don’t satisfy the requirements to file as a nonprofit organization.

Comments

[Gary Boyd]

So, David...Should I be alarmed at the conservative organizations using the same section of the tax code?

Everyone from The Heritage Foundation to Freedom Works is organized under the same section. Do you think they should loose their tax exempt status too?

Just wondering...

[David St Lawrence]

Jenny Erikson's article is an opinion piece and she is trying to represent that there is a significant difference between the ethical values of mission statements of conservative think tanks and Media Matters. I am not sure there is.

It would make more sense if Media Matters was typically labelled a liberal or left wing news source and the Heritage Foundation was labelled a conservative or right wing new source.

We usually see the appellation "conservative" attached to the Heritage Foundation but Media Matters is not so labelled by mainstream media.

They are all partisan groups and should be so labelled.