Media Matters Cites Ludwig von Mises Institute as a Source on Obama's Spending Record

Ludwig von Mises (Left)

I was reading the latest posts from Media Matters for America for the latest conservative misinformation. One article was discussing the Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch article by Rex Nutting regarding the myth of Obama's spending spike. Media Matters analyzed several right wing false claims made in response about Nutting's article. As usual, they did their objective researching and sourcing. One of the false claims they debunked was that former President George W. Bush didn't sign off the budget for 2009. Thus they say that President Obama is responsible for it. Oh yes he did.

Bill O'Reilly FAILS Attacking Media Matters Gas Prices Video

Yesterday, Bill O'Reilly on his show claimed the media watch dog Media Matters for America posted and edited a video saying he (O'Reilly) didn't criticize Bush during the Bush administration for record high gas prices. He's referring to the video Media Matters posted called "FLASHBACK: Fox News On Gas Prices In 2008" regarding Fox News defending President Bush and saying there was nothing he could to control the gas prices.

From his Talking Points Memo:

Now, for years "Talking Points" has been telling you that Media Matters, heavily funded by people like George Soros, has been corrupting the editorial process in America. And tonight we will give you one more vivid example. As you may know, I have been very critical of the oil companies jacking up gas prices when there's plenty of supply available in the U.S.A. Also, I've criticized President Obama for doing nothing about it when he could call the oil chieftains into the White House and get behind legislation to limit oil speculation. Enter Media Matters who calls me a hypocrite because they say I didn't hammer President Bush when gas prices rose during his tenure.

O'Reilly has several problems with his criticism of the Media Matters video. Media Matters in their article and in the video didn't even say O'Reilly didn't criticize Bush or call him a hypocrite. In fact reading the article and actually watching the video shows no such thing.

Media Matters points out what Fox News was saying about gas prices in 2008. Compare it to now.

From the Media Matters website:

Following GOP strategy, Fox News is again blaming the Obama administration for rising gasoline prices -- a claim that has been repeatedly debunked by energy analysts. But back in the summer of 2008, when the average U.S. gasoline price hit a record high of $4.11, Fox said that "no President has the power to increase or to lower gas prices."   In 2008, Fox's coverage occasionally even mirrored the facts: expanding domestic oil drilling will not significantly lower prices, and the only way to reduce our vulnerability to gas price spikes is to use less oil.

This is the only part of the video O'Reilly aired on his show:

O'REILLY: So the next time you hear a politician say he or she will bring down oil prices, understand its complete BS. If Americans want lower gas prices? Cut back.

If your only watching Fox News, you would never have known what the video was actually about seeing only 10 seconds of the 5:26 video that was all O'Reilly aired. O'Reilly could have actually said the title of the video. That would tell you more about video than the 10 seconds O'Reilly aired. The video showed Fox News' tone when it came the president and gas prices in 2008 which included O'Reilly. To his credit, Bill has stayed consistent when it comes to politician promises and gas prices. I think he's the only one on Fox News that hasn't changed his tone as of now. That doesn't excuse his blatant dishonesty on Media Matters.

Why Fox News Hates Media Matters Exhibit A

They (Media Matters For America) demonstrate how Fox News echo GOP talking points, more recently again blaming the Obama administration for rising gasoline prices.

Fox News had a different position back in the summer of 2008, when the average U.S. gasoline price hit a record high of $4.11, Fox said that "no President has the power to increase or to lower gas prices."Which by the way is true.

From Media Matters:

In 2008, Fox's coverage occasionally even mirrored the facts: expanding domestic oil drilling will not significantly lower prices, and the only way to reduce our vulnerability to gas price spikes is to use less oil.

Pay attention to what O'Reilly says...

Attacks on Media Matters Backfire

The more I watched Fox News and the Daily Caller's endless campaign against Media Matters for American (MMFA), the more conservatives threw up all over each other.  In my last video and blog post, I only listed three myths the right wing throws against Media Matters. Now I'm going to go more in detail with the claims of illegality put on Media Matters by the right wing.

I was actually surprised to see Brent Bozell President of the Media Research Center (MRC) go on television to discuss to the recent stories the Daily Caller has put out about Media Matters.

During his interview with Sean Hannity, Bozell actually said he has a policy not to talk about MMFA “Well, let me first preface this by saying as a matter of policy I refuse to talk about this organization. I’m making an exception tonight because I do want to comment on it tonight,”Now that sounds similar to what happened nine months ago when the MRC dodged an appearance Roland Martin discussing the media's role in Obama releasing his long form birth certificate. Knowing MMFA would appear with them Martin said they declined saying "they don't debate Media Matters".

Now its important to know the difference between Media Matters and the Media Research Center  since both are considered to be counter parts of each other ideologically. MRC focuses on so called "liberal media bias" and MMFA focuses on conservative misinformation. In my last video and blog post I mentioned how MMFA played a role for me leaving the right wing. MRC also played a role when I compared the two organization. I realized accuracy in the news media is more important than the bias. I'll discuss more about the Media Research Center's propaganda model later.

Bozell made my point when he falsely claimed in order to make a case on MMFA's bias that MMFA took issue with Fox News' conservative commentators and found no bias in its "straight reporting," He said, “They (Media Matters) don’t talk about Bret Baier… they don’t talk about the news, they talk about the commentators.”  On the contrary, doing a simple search on their website, and you'll find hundreds of articles criticizing bias from “objective” hosts such as Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum, Megyn Kelly and others. So the word "research" in MRC's name must only be a brand name.

When Bozell was asked by Politico about the parallel between Media Matters and the Media Research Center given that they both criticize the media and they're both are tax exempt organizations, he said:

“Media Matters stands accused of violating its tax-deductible status, and I think that fact speaks for itself.” [Politico 7/1/11]

That was all Bozell had as a response. Apparently according to Bozell's logic until someone accuses his organization of violating its tax exempt status, then their is a parallel. Actually, you can find many parallels between the things the Media Research Center has been of doing and what the Media Matters is also doing that right wing claims is illegal.

Both are in full compliance with the law, but the right wing misinterpreting it much like they do the First Amendment is putting the Media Research Center in the rumble.

• Both organizations (MRC and MMFA) are 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations.
• Both are ideologically partisan with what with they write about.
• Both have pressured advertisers of to drop programs for certain content.
• Both have agreed or had agreed that pressuring advertisers to drop an offensive program is not being anti-free speech or pro-censorship which is the charge as of now being put on Media Matters. 

Despite the right wing pounding on the organization they can still  nothing illegal, unethical, deceptive, or political in promoting or training candidates for office. Their just shooting themselves in the foot over and over and over again. You'd think they'd learn checks from their tactics, but they don't.

Myths about Media Matters for America by the Right Wing

Media Matters for America (MMFA) is a self described progressive media watch dog organization dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. It was founded by former conservative journalist David Brock, famous for writing the book "Blinded by the Right". As a former Republican, I use to think as do many other right wingers, that Media Matters was a George Soros funded, free speech hating, smear website. However, this website had a profound influence on me coming to realize that my conservative beliefs and my way of thinking were based more on core ideology than by facts.

Which is Better? Media Research Center or Accuracy In Media?

In my last post I showed the difference between  Media Research Center and what could be considered it's liberal counterparts. "Media Matters For America" and "Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting" (FAIR) are the most infamous. The difference is simple: MRC is about bias not accuracy. The blog Left Hook explained this further. Is there a conservative media watchdog organization that cares about accuracy in journalism? Well... one has accuracy in it's name anyway: Accuracy in Media or (AIM). Is it a true counterpart to MMFA and FAIR unlike MRC? No, in fact its as far from them as MRC is.
AIM mainstreams and pushes a conspiratorial mindset engaging in speculation, distorted half-truths, and unproved assertions of fact. In their world facts are NOT irrefutable.

Since it's founding and especially in the election of Obama its legitimized the craziest conspiracy theories and has said the craziest things such as:.

Sad Truth About Media Research Center and It's Difference with Media Matters For America

I've been following this awesome blog called LEFT HOOK! BLOG which I've decided I'm going to add to the Blogroll section of my blog. I just read a piece he did about Newsbusters and the Media Research Center. It's exactly what I I've wanted to say about them, but he lays it down best. He explains what the difference is between the conservative MRC and the liberal/progressive MMFA . It's the most important point to make about MRC. Here's just a sample.


From LEFT HOOK! THE BLOG
[...]
The MRC has always portrayed itself as a media watchdog with a conservative bent, but it would be a big mistake to put it in the same pound as liberal media watchdogs like Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR), and Media Matters For America (MMFA), and not just because the MRC is extremely conservative. The MRC isn't just a different breed of watchdog. It's an entirely different species from its liberal counterparts.

Media Matters For America lists, as its mission, "comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media." Part of the mission of FAIR can be found in its name--the "A" stands for "Accuracy." These groups are centrally concerned with, among other things, correcting misinformation. Keeping the record straight. The MRC has a very different mission. The legend of Newsbusters reads "Exposing & Combating Liberal Media Bias." Their more detailed "About" page tells the same story. They're about "bias," not accuracy.

It shows in their work. An incredible amount of misinformation flows forth from Newsbusters, just as it has always flowed forth from the MRC. Newsbusters is afflicted with a depressingly common ailment of the American right, one about which I've written repeatedly over the years; they see politics as a simple contest between good and evil--themselves being good, the "liberals" being evil--and embrace the idea that reality itself can be subservient to and defined by their own momentary political passions. A large segment of the right has, for years, waged open war on the notion that there is any such thing as an objective set of facts about anything. This is done as a means of denying any sort of victory to those whom it sees as enemies--if there are no universally agreed-upon yardsticks, there's nothing against which to measure the conservatives, nothing that can be used to judge them unambiguously wrong. By this view, more broadly, that which they, themselves, believe and want and do is, by definition, that which is true and proper and right. They hold the converse to be true, as well. The reason accuracy isn't listed as a concern of Newsbusters is because, for the conservatives who toil away at it and (most especially) for those who uncritically groove on its work, "liberal" equals, by definition, "misinformation."
[...]
Read Left Hook!'s Entire Post

ATTENTION Both Media Matters and Media Research Center are Tax Exempt

What I posted about the Media Research Center being tax exempt and doing the same phony illegal activities that Media Matters is being attacked for was also posted on Crooks and Liars. It's good that hypocrisy is being talked about and pointed out in the blogosphere.

karoli
Crooks and Liars
June 30, 2011


The idea of Fox News getting high and mighty about Media Matters' DropFox campaign is, well...laughable. However, what might be even more laughable is the idea that they can start a campaign to strip Media Matters of their tax-exempt status. They should be careful what they wish for.
In this clip, viewer Dana Martin from New Orleans tells Fox and Friends why she is so convinced that Media Matters tax-exempt status must be revoked. So convinced, in fact, that she filled in a web form to send a complaint to the IRS about their tax exempt status. And guess where that web form is? On the Fox Nation web page, of course, where else?
But as I said, they should be careful what they wish for. Let's look at some other tax-exempt organizations who also undertake "campaigns" with taxpayer subsidies. There's the Media Research Center, headed by Brent Bozell, who routinely appears on Fox News as a commentator. One look at their website shows that they have some 'projects' of their own which are clearly not educational at all, but purely political.
Read Entire Article

Update on Tax Exempt Complaint Against Media Matters

There have been new developments since the phony tax-exemption complaint against Media Matters For America. For those who haven't heard, the Fox News Channel has ran several pieces and stories claiming Media Matters is in violation of it's 501(c) 3 tax-exemption status. Taxpayers' Subsidizing Media Matters' War on Fox News and even one on Special Report With Brett Baier. Fox Nation has launched a campaign for it's readers and viewers to file a complaint with the IRS. It will be interesting what the IRS will say after their inbox gets filled with the same complaint.

 

 

I posted a video explaining why this is a non story. To summarize it, I explained how Media Matters' criticism of  the misinformation on Fox News is no different than the Media Research Center trying to expose and combat Liberal media bias. The MRC also has a tax exemption under 501(c) 3. I've chatted in some forums with people who really believe this is a real story and really think MM is a different case than the MRC.
The excuse is not only pathetic, it's intellectually hilarious.

Phony Tax Exempt Complaint Against Media Matters

 

Last Tuesday (6/21/11),  an article in the  Washington Times alleged that Media Matters is improperly receiving tax-exempt status. I not going to pretend to be an expert in tax-exempt statuses as said Ellen at Newhounds when discussing this story. I'm just going to offer my observations about this complaint against Media Matters.

Is Media Matters legally tax exempt under 501(c)(3)? 

From the IRS

To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes. None of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual. It may not be an action organization- not attempt to influence legislation or participate in any campaign for or against political candidates. Organizations under 501(c)(3) are also known as charitable organizations. Organizations described in 501(c)(3), other than testing for public safety organizations, are eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions in accordance with Code section 170. The organization must not be organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, and no part of a section 501(c)(3) organization's net earnings may inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. If the organization engages in an excess benefit transaction with a person having substantial influence over the organization, an excise tax may be imposed on the person and any organization managers agreeing to the transaction. 501(c)(3) organizations are restricted in how much political and legislative (lobbying) activities they may conduct. See Political and Lobbying Activities, Lobbying Issues

So it seems to me that yes Media Matters is legally tax-exempt under 501(c)(3) as they say on their site.

So what's the complaint?