Media Matters: Non-Profit, Political Campaign Law Violators?

Media Matters for America (MMfA) is a non-profit, left-leaning watchdog journalism organization. It was founded in 2004 by journalist and political activist David Brock, who was previously a conservative journalist. MMfA's mission is to expose conservative misinformation in the U.S. media and has been criticized for its aggressive tactics, which many see as being at odds with its 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax status, which stipulates nonpartisanship. In 2020, MMfA was accused of breaking campaign laws by acting as an arm of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. The conservative Patriots Foundation filed a lawsuit alleging that MMfA and three other Brock-founded organizations had illegally coordinated with the Clinton campaign in violation of Federal Election Commission regulations. While MMfA has denied any wrongdoing, the lawsuit and subsequent investigations have raised questions about the organization's political independence and the legality of its activities.

Media Matters' support for Clinton in 2016

Media Matters for America (MMfA) is a non-profit, left-leaning watchdog journalism organization founded by journalist and political activist David Brock. It was established in 2004 to counter the conservative Media Research Center. MMfA has been criticized for its support of Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign.

In 2020, the conservative nonprofit Patriots Foundation filed a lawsuit against the Federal Electoral Commission (FEC), alleging that MMfA, along with three other organizations, illegally assisted Clinton's 2016 campaign. The lawsuit came after 120 days of FEC inaction on the complaint, which claimed that MMfA had coordinated with the Clinton campaign in violation of FEC regulations.

The New Republic reported that, as the 2016 election approached, MMfA's focus shifted from "debunking conservative misinformation" to "defending Hillary Clinton." A former MMfA staffer told the publication that the organization's support for Clinton hurt its credibility. WikiLeaks messages also revealed that the Clinton campaign treated MMfA as a surrogate, coordinating with the group to "muddy the waters" on certain issues.

In addition, Bill Clinton blamed the "mainstream media" for his wife's 2016 election loss, specifically citing the attention drawn to her controversial use of a private email server during her tenure as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. The email saga was the subject of headlines during Clinton's campaign and was a flashpoint in a highly polarized election cycle.

Media Matters' role in the Jussie Smollett case

Media Matters for America (MMfA) is a non-profit, left-leaning watchdog journalism organization founded by journalist and political activist David Brock. It seeks to expose "conservative misinformation" in the U.S. media.

On January 29, 2019, Jussie Smollett, an actor on the drama series Empire, reported to the Chicago Police Department that he had been the victim of a hate crime. Smollett claimed that two masked assailants had poured "an unknown chemical substance" on him and placed a rope around his neck. He also alleged that they had yelled "MAGA country", a reference to former President Donald Trump's slogan, "Make America Great Again".

The day after the alleged attack, MMfA defended Smollett's story, labelling skepticism as a "right-wing smear". They also accused Twitter and YouTube of promoting content that doubted Smollett's story. However, on February 21, MMfA updated their article after Smollett was arrested and charged with filing a false police report.

MMfA's role in the Jussie Smollett case was part of a larger pattern of behavior. MMfA has been criticized for its strong support of Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign, with some arguing that the organization had become more about defending Clinton than debunking conservative misinformation. MMfA has also been accused of taking "huge donations to launder the writings of Antifa propagandists into the mainstream".

Media Matters' criticism of right-wing media's coverage of critical race theory

Media Matters for America (MMfA) is a non-profit, progressive watchdog organisation that focuses on exposing and countering what it calls "conservative misinformation" in U.S. media sources. It was founded in 2004 by journalist and political activist David Brock, who stated that a central goal would be to monitor journalists and outlets for misleading conservative claims and then point them out.

MMfA has criticised right-wing media for its coverage of critical race theory (CRT), an academic framework for understanding systemic racism in the United States. According to MMfA, right-wing media outlets have engaged in fearmongering and spread falsehoods by conflating CRT with all attempts to teach students about racism. This, MMfA claims, is an attempt to "bash any discussion of systemic racism and racial justice efforts".

MMfA has identified a feedback loop between powerful right-wing institutions, including think tanks, advocacy groups, media outlets, and Republican politicians, which seeks to turn local debates about school curricula into a polarised national issue that can be used for Republican political gain.

• Right-wing think tanks develop a framework for discussing CRT: Manhattan Institute senior fellow Christopher Rufo, for example, has explained that the goal is to "put all of the various cultural insanities under that brand category" so that people associate anything "crazy" they read in the newspaper with CRT.
• Advocacy groups use this framework to oppose CRT: there are now "at least 165 local and national groups that aim to disrupt lessons on race and gender," and these groups try to garner attention for their flawed interpretation of CRT.
• Advocacy work generates press coverage, particularly from right-wing media: the activism of anti-CRT groups provides a steady stream of news hooks for local and national right-wing media players.
• Media coverage creates an incentive for GOP politicians to take action: Republican politicians latch on to the culture war outrage currently roiling the GOP base. As of 2025, at least 26 states have introduced or passed legislation banning CRT in public schools or taken other steps to curtail its spread.
• Political action provides more news hooks for right-wing media outlets to cover and creates victories for advocacy groups to claim and rally around, thus completing the cycle.

MMfA has identified several key tactics used by the right to sustain the CRT outrage, including:

• Spewing extreme, violent demagoguery: on Fox News and other right-wing outlets, CRT is described in apocalyptic terms as a "racist theology" or "civilization-ending poison".
• Scrutinising and cherry-picking from documents: right-wing figures often promote inaccurate or exaggerated interpretations of documents related to school curricula or diversity trainings.
• Organising scenes at public events: anti-CRT groups hold rallies and try to pack local school board meetings with agitated supporters.
• Building alliances with anti-trans activists: critics of CRT in schools also frequently complain about the inclusion of transgender students, and Fox figures regularly compare the two topics.
• Holding political inquisitions: Idaho's far-right Republican Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, for example, tried to put CRT front and centre for her primary challenge against sitting Gov. Brad Little by announcing a "Task Force to Examine Indoctrination in Idaho Education."
• Circulating and passing stock legislation: bills introduced in state legislatures often bear the fingerprints of former Trump White House official Russ Vought and his organisation, the Center for Renewing America.
• Using opposition to CRT as an excuse for right-wing policy-making: conservatives have invoked purported connections to CRT in opposing affirmative action, universal pre-K, and one of President Joe Biden's nominees.

In addition, MMfA has criticised right-wing media for its breathless and incessant reporting on CRT, claiming that it is being used to teach children that one race is superior to another. Fox, in particular, has characterised CRT as "racist" and "Marxist", and has given a platform to activists trying to ban CRT from being taught in public schools.

As a result of this coverage, public opinion polls on CRT have become polarised, with right-wing media reporting that over half of all U.S. adults disapprove of the academic theory. However, these polls do not necessarily reflect an accurate understanding of CRT among respondents, as they may have been exposed to the right-wing media's characterisation of the theory.

Media Matters' lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

Media Matters for America (MMfA) is a non-profit, progressive watchdog journalism organization. It was founded in 2004 by journalist and activist David Brock to counter what he saw as the conservative bias of the Media Research Center.

In November 2023, MMfA published a report claiming that major brands' advertisements on X (formerly Twitter) were placed next to racist and antisemitic content. This led to a lawsuit from X's owner, Elon Musk, who accused MMfA of defamation and attempting to hurt the platform's advertising revenues. MMfA called the lawsuit frivolous and an attempt to silence their reporting.

On the same day that the X lawsuit was filed, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation into MMfA for "potentially fraudulent activity". Paxton stated that his goal was "to ensure that the public has not been deceived by the schemes of radical left-wing organizations". In response, MMfA filed a lawsuit against Paxton in federal court, alleging that he had violated the First Amendment and engaged in unlawful retaliation. In April 2024, Judge Amit Mehta issued a preliminary injunction against Paxton's demand for internal documents from MMfA.

Media Matters' defamation lawsuit from Twitter (X)

Media Matters, a non-profit, left-leaning watchdog journalism organization, was sued for defamation in November 2023 by X, formerly known as Twitter, and its owner Elon Musk. The lawsuit was filed in a Texas court and alleged that Media Matters had defamed the platform with the intention of hurting its advertising revenues.

The lawsuit was filed after Media Matters published a report claiming that advertisements of major brands were being displayed on the social media platform next to user posts containing antisemitic content, including praise for Adolf Hitler and Nazis. The report led to several prominent companies, including IBM, Comcast, Apple, and Disney, suspending their advertising on the platform.

Media Matters denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit frivolous and an attempt to silence their reporting. Legal experts have also criticized the lawsuit, deeming it "frivolous" and contradictory to the First Amendment.

In response to the lawsuit, Media Matters filed a suit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, alleging that he had violated their First Amendment rights and engaged in unlawful retaliation to punish the group. A federal judge granted an injunction to halt the investigation, agreeing that it was "using law enforcement machinery for political ends".

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