Draft:Media and Democracy Project
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| Formation | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Milo Vassallo, Jonathan Reiss, Brian Hansbury |
| Type | 501(c)4 social welfare organization |
| Location | |
Area served | United States |
| Method | Advocacy |
| Website | https://www.mediaanddemocracyproject.org/ |
The Media and Democracy Project (MAD), a media-focused public interest group, advocates for accurate, unbiased news reporting that serves the public interest and supports democracy. MAD, a 501(c)(4) organization based in New York City, was founded in 2020 by Milo Vassallo, Jonathan Reiss, and Brian Hansbury. MAD describes itself as nonpartisan. The Capital Research Center describes MAD as left-of-center.[1]
advocacy for local journalism
MAD, believing in the importance of independent local journalism, makes available to the public a list of over 2,000 community-focused news outlets across the U.S.[2] According to MAD, the directory celebrates “quality, community-focused journalism” that contributes to "a better informed citizenry, the bedrock of a strong democracy."[3]
MAD recognized the Marion County Record, based in Marion, KS, as a "Media and Democracy Hero" after Marion police, in apparent violation of the federal Privacy Protection Act, raided the newspaper's office, seizing computers and cell phones.[4]
MAD recognized Amjambo Africa as a "Local Journalism Bright Spot". Amjambo Africa serves the immigrant community in Maine, publishing in English, French, Kinyarwanda, Portuguese, Swahili, Somali, and Spanish.[3]
In January, 2025, MAD named editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes "Hero of the Month." She had resigned from the Washington Post after the newspaper rejected her cartoon showing Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos and other billionaires kneeling before President Trump.[5][6]
MAD is a member of the Rebuild Local News coalition[7] and is a founding member of the Prison Journalism Project.[8]
advice to journalists
MAD co-founder Brian Hansbury believes that the mainstream media has a right-wing bias.[9] MAD urges journalists to more aggressively cover threats to democracy, which include, according to MAD, the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, false claims of vote fraud in the 2020 elections, and authoritarian trends among Republican politicians.[10][1]
MAD claims that the media downplays the harm caused by state laws restricting access to abortion. MAD urges journalists to frame abortion as healthcare, to state that most Americans want abortion to be safe and legal, and to state that restricting abortion disproportionately burdens the poor and racial minorities.[1]
MAD claims that the media does not sufficiently convey the urgency of climate change, which it calls a "climate emergency." MAD urges journalists to report that climate change is caused by humans, that climate change costs the United States $17 billion per year, and that climate change causes extreme weather.[1]
FCC petition
In July, 2023, MAD petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to deny the broadcast license renewal application of FOX affiliate WTXF-TV in Philadelphia. The petition argued that the judicial record of the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit against Fox News demonstrates that WTXF aired "knowingly false narratives about the 2020 election," that this intentional misinformation campaign was "so egregious as to shock the conscience," and that the owners of WTXF therefore fail to meet the minimum standards of character that the Communications Act of 1934 requires of broadcast licensees.[11][12] The FCC took the unusual step of requesting public comments on the petition. Founding president of Fox Broadcasting Jamie Kellner,[13] former FCC commissioner Ervin Duggan,[14] former Republican FCC chair Alfred Sikes[15] and conservative commentator Bill Kristol[1] all supported MAD's petition. The FCC denied the petition in January, 2025.[16][17]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Media and Democracy Project". Influence Watch.
- ^ DemLabs (March 29, 2024). "Media And Democracy Project: Mapping Your Local Journalist SuperHeroes". Medium.
- ^ a b "Amjambo wins award". Amjambo Africa. Dec 21, 2023.
- ^ Snider, Mike (August 14, 2023). "Police conduct 'chilling' raid of Kansas newspaper, publisher's home seizing computers, phones". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Mullin, Benjamin (January 3, 2025). "Washington Post Cartoonist Quits After Jeff Bezos Cartoon Is Killed". New York Times.
- ^ The Media and Democracy Project (2025-01-27). "The Media and Democracy Project "Hero of the Month": Ann Telnaes".
- ^ "COALITION: WHO WE REPRESENT". Rebuild Local News.
- ^ "Our Supporters". Prison Journalism Project.
- ^ Hansbury, Brian (July 3, 2023). "The Mainstream Media Is Biased to the Right, And The Right Is Now Extreme". Substack: The Media and Democracy Project Blog.
- ^ Hansbury, Brian (October 23, 2022). "Media isn't doing nearly enough to defend democracy — but it's not too late to change". salon.
- ^ Vadala, Nick (July 7, 2023). "Petition seeks to deny renewal of Fox 29′s broadcast license". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ Feld, Harold (August 29, 2023). "My Insanely Long Field Guide to the Fox29 Philadelphia (WTFX-TV) License Renewal Challenge". Wetmachine.
- ^ Keys, Matthew (August 22, 2023). "First Fox president joins fight against local station's license renewal". TheDesk.
- ^ Keys, Matthew (July 31, 2023). "Former FCC official joins fight against WTXF license renewal". TheDesk.
- ^ Raynor Ave. (August 21, 2023). "License Renewal Application for Fox Philadelphia". NewsDirect.
- ^ the Acting Chief, Media Bureau (January 16, 2025). "MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ Keys, Matthew (January 16, 2025). "FCC tosses petition that challenged licensed of Fox-owned WTXF". The Desk.