Independent, non-profit, non-partisan, pt. 2

When I encounter a new name or organization I first go to the “about us” page, and then to the “funding” if I can find it (and that’s extremely difficult because so many political, community and church organizations both on the left and the right try to disguise or downplay this), and I then look at the “staff” or “advisory board” or “contacts” if possible (that too is sometimes hidden, but you may find an address).

SourceWatch (a wiki) mentioned below defined itself as “a collaborative project of the Center for Media and Democracy to produce a directory of the people, organizations and issues shaping the public agenda.” However, when I looked up that organization and moved past its own glowing descriptions, I found this definition at Activist Cash.com.

“The Center for Media & Democracy (CMD) is a counterculture public relations effort disguised as an independent media organization. CMD isn’t really a center it would be more accurate to call it a partnership, since it is essentially a two-person operation.” . . “Their books Mad Cow U.S.A. and Toxic Sludge Is Good for You! were produced and promoted using grant monies from the Foundation for Deep Ecology ($25,000) and the Education Foundation of America ($20,000), among others. Along with the more recent Trust Us: We’re Experts, these books are scare-mongering tales about a corporate culture out of control, and each implies that the public needs rescuing. Guess who the heroes in this fantasy are? “

If I had scrolled through more stuff on the SourceWatch page and found these titles, I could have figured out all by myself that it is a shill for leftist causes.

Of course, this means I have to go to the “about us” page of Activist Cash.com and find out who funds them.

“This site, created by the Center for Consumer Freedom, is committed to providing detailed and up-to-date information about the funding source of radical anti-consumer organizations and activists. We have analyzed over 410,000 pages of IRS documents to create this database, and new information will be added every month.

The organizations we track on this site are tax-exempt nonprofits. That means you have the right to know what they're up to. The same rule applies to the tax-exempt foundations that pay their bills.”

So then I need to find out what is Center for Consumer Freedom who is paying the bills for Activist Cash.com who is checking on Source Watch who is watching the speaker from AEI who is telling the health care employees at a conference this week, how to use incentives, which just might be affecting my own personal health.

At its “about us” page I learn that

“The Center for Consumer Freedom is supported by over 100 companies and thousands of individual consumers. From farm to fork, from urban to rural, our friends and supporters include businesses, their employees, and their customers.

The Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. We file regular statements with the Internal Revenue Service, which are open to public inspection.”

Looking through their material I see a lot on the food and nutrition industry and animal rights scams. So now I know it represents business interests of its clients, so we’re right back to the socialist do-gooders fighting the nasty mean capitalists, or WHAT ELSE IS NEW?