Media Matters for America is the liberal media watchdog that’s been in operation since 2003. It’s raked in a quarter of a billion in donations since its inception. The outfit was founded by former conservative David Brock, now a liberal political strategist, who has waged war on Fox News, among others. It’s the Left’s version of the Media Research Center, and it might not survive the second Trump presidency.
The New York Times had a lengthy piece about the issues plaguing the outfit, which range from a lack of funds to the endless stream of lawsuits, primarily from Elon Musk. Brock left the outlet in 2022 but came back to help navigate the Musk lawsuit. It didn’t turn out well, as he clashed with other staffers, and he’s been isolated since. The liberal organization got into trouble with Musk when they published a report in 2023 claiming that Twitter, which Musk had then acquired, had ads that were placed next to pro-Nazi and antisemitic content. They also claimed that Musk endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory. The ongoing legal battle, in which Musk has filed appeals, appears to be the reason why Media Matters is circling the drain. Morale at the outlet is reportedly dreadful (via NYT):
Media Matters, a nonprofit group that has played a key role in liberal politics, is struggling to withstand months of legal assaults by President Trump’s allies, offering a glimpse of what might be in store for even well-funded targets of his retribution campaigns.
The organization, which is funded by some of the Democratic Party’s biggest donors, has racked up about $15 million in legal fees over the past 20 months to defend itself against lawsuits by Elon Musk, in addition to investigations by Mr. Trump’s Federal Trade Commission and Republican state attorneys general.
The group has slashed the size of its staff and scrambled to raise more cash from skittish donors, according to documents and interviews with 11 people familiar with the organization’s fight to survive.
That might not be enough. Media Matters tried to settle with Mr. Musk by offering concessions, but the sides were far apart and talks fizzled. Even when the group has triumphed in court, Mr. Musk has appealed or filed new cases elsewhere. As a last resort, it has considered shuttering, according to interviews and an internal document.
[…]
The bleak outlook now facing the group underscores the serious harms that can be inflicted when the Trump administration and its allies train the vast resources of government or billionaire bank accounts on perceived enemies.
It leaves targets facing a tricky choice: whether to spend heavily and fight back, or negotiate settlements that risk backlash for abandoning their convictions.
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It certainly doesn’t bode well, though I’m sure they’ll fight to the bitter end. But it’s hard to combat the right-wing media machine—silly term—when we’ve been right about Russian collusion, Biden’s health, and a host of other issues because we pay attention to what actually happens. Best of luck, I guess, but that article was like going to a wake.
Oh well.
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