C. Boyden Gray makes the case that Media Matters should not be granted tax-exempt status in the Washington Times:
David Brock, the conservative turned liberal advocate, has recently garnered a considerable amount of press coverage for his attacks on Fox News for, among many other things, allegedly taking over leadership of the Republican Party. What the news coverage has ignored is his use of tax-free funds for his organization, Media Matters for America (MMA), for these attacks — a form of government support for activities that clearly do not merit tax-exempt status and that as a result infringe on Fox News’ First Amendment rights.
MMA was originally established as an Internal Revenue Service Section 501(c)(3) organization, that is, an organization that can receive tax-deductible contributions to engage in educational activities. The more precise purpose was to counter alleged media bias and so to “identify occurrences of excessive bias in the American media, educate the public as to their existence, and to work with members of the media to reduce them.”
What MMA actually is doing, however, moves far afield from identifying possible bias to mounting a campaign to undermine a major media outlet and to promote the Democratic Party and progressive causes associated with it. Mr. Brock himself has described this new strategy as “a war on Fox,” an effort “to disrupt [Rupert Murdoch's] commercial interests” and look for ways to turn regulators against News Corp.’s media outlets.
MMA’s activities should disallow its tax-exempt status in two fundamental ways. First, IRS rulings make clear that attacks on individuals, statement of positions that are unsupported by facts and use of inflammatory language and other distortions will cost an organization its tax-free status. Second, in declaring “guerrilla warfare” on Fox as the “leader” and “mouthpiece” of the Republican Party and in developing a sophisticated Democratic-leaning media training boot camp, MMA has transformed itself into an aggressive advocate for Democratic and progressive causes and thus produced a second deviation from exempt educational activities.
Read the full article here.
The power to tax is the power to destroy. Tax them. Tax them hard. Reduce the deficit!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'm sure that Mr. Holder is preparing a memo for turbo-tax Timmy to take care of this post-haste.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSadly, Mr. Brock and his ilk don't view this behavior as anything other than patriotic protection of the president ... you know, "my president, wrong or wrong!"
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMr. Brown, you are correct with your analysis. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until we have a president with sufficient resolve to appoint an IRS Director and Attorney General with the courage to correct the abuses by Media Matters and other 501(3)(c)s.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSo why does Bozell's Media Research Center get a free pass and Media Matters doesn't? Aren't both organizations tax exempt? I realize that Bozzie is on Hannity regularly, and Murdoch reaches for Charmin Lipstick Remover when y'all type, but isn't this a bit of an omission here?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseTo compare Soros to Bozell is ridiculous. All Bozell does is print the statistics and examples of the msm in their own words and we can come to the conclusions we see.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSoros, by his own admission, is out to destroy capitalism and recently asserted his goals to destroy Fox News.
As to the latter, I think it is already working. The commentators on panels on Fox News have been either limp or irritating lately, so much so to me, that I have given up watching them.
I feel so much better.
"All Bozell does is print the statistics and examples of the msm in their own words and we can come to the conclusions we see."
I read the MRC and its Culture and Media/NewsBusters divisions daily. In fact, I've read the MRC for almost 10 years now and watched them grow from a relatively modest organization into a mass conglomerate of divisions that has something for just about anybody. In all of that reading, they almost always (and by that, I mean over 99% of the time) give their opinions along with the quotes and videos posted.
"Soros, by his own admission, is out to destroy capitalism and recently asserted his goals to destroy Fox News."
Most billionaires didn't get to the top by playing footsie with others, either economically or politically. Heck, Murdoch bought the NY Post in what I assume was a bid to lure Daily News readers away. Then, he spent billions on the Wall Street Journal in what was obviously a bid to bury the Times (and those liberal chai swillers could use the jabbing, as far as I'm concerned).
Are Soros and MediaMatters a pain in the butt and "one hit wonders" in their Fox attacks? You betcha. I used to read MediaMatters to balance out my MRC readings, but they really just have the one conservative TV outlet to bash and that makes them kind of irrelevant (and the MRC all the more, even though I disagree with many of their specifics).
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"(and the MRC all the more, even though I disagree with many of their specifics)"
All the more relevant, I mean.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhy is Media Matters going after a Comedy channel?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhile I don't exactly agree with your comment, I have to admit it was witty, pithy, and FUNNY!
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse...as if there aren't pleny of conservative leaning sites that are tax exempt too.
Be careful in casting out your demons you don't cast out the best part of yourself.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseName one!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI just can't think of any right leaning anything that has a tax exempt status...most tax exempt or government funded entities become left slanted simply to exist...as the only way they can is through large government and big government spending
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseFox is controlled by the CFR. As far as i am concerned they have lost their credibility.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMr. Marshall's comment is a very personal point of view. We, who watch Fox News to get the whole truth, rather than the grossly opinionated views of any of the other outlets I have watched do not see his negative version. I am extremely grateful for a group of newsmen whose central motivation is to know, and share ALL the factors in every news worthy national story.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseFifteen years ago, watching Peter Jennings was a safe report to check out...he has no equal in todays media, outside of FOX Newx
The Democrat Liberal Party will go after any person or organization that holds or expresses opposing views. By their own actions, Media Matters is advocating the Fox News be given the same tax status that they enjoy. The difference is that Fox News Channel broadcasts both sides of every argument, straight up. NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC are nothing more than propaganda arms of Obama and his administration. One should also notice how the liberal media engage in vitriolic name calling when they run out of facts on an issue.
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