Tax-Exempt Media Matters for America illegally coordinates with Congress (Update)

We’ve known Media Matters for America is hiding behind its tax-exempt, non-partisan 501(c)(3) status, but it’s time the IRS calls them out and pull their tax-exempt approval. They can have any opinion they want, they can pick up the phone and coordinate with Democrats in Washington all they want, but they can not do this while claiming to be a non-partisan group.

Scroll for update.

Joel Pollak at Big Government has information and the text of an email that was inadvertently sent to at least one Republican staffer. The email is about an upcoming story on the Keystone Pipeline and in part, includes the following paragraph.

We are hoping for a big media splash,  but – more importantly – we’re hoping that allies will be able to leverage it to gain favorable coverage.

Pollak goes on to note

Under IRS requirements, MMfA would likely be able to provide its research to legislators, but not to coordinate with political “allies” to “gain favorable coverage” on legislation still pending before Congress so that such legislation might be defeated and those allies might benefit from greater exposure.

Media Matters is simply the tax-exempt voice of the Democrats with the only goal of shutting down Fox News. Take a look at their current home page, mentioning Fox & Friends, Krauthammer, Megyn Kelly, Andrew Breitbart, Hannity, Chris Wallace … et all. (Note that I barely watch any TV let alone Fox News these days.)

So, what will the IRS do, or is the establishment too afraid to pull the tax-exempt status? Could you imaging the feigned outrage from the left as the government attacked them?

Big Government’s sister site Big Journalism does a better job pointing out left wing media bias and gives credit where credit is due, but they pay their taxes. If this is allowed to stand, Breitbart and company should immediately form a 501(c)(3) and go to town.

Update: Michelle Malkin also picked up on this last night, and her post includes the name of the Media Matters employee who sent the email to the congressional staffers. No hiding now.

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Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

14 Comments

  1. stinkfoot on January 26, 2012 at 8:11 am

    I think the regular population is becoming increasingly desensitized to corruption related to government and all that supports it.? The over supply of immoral and unethical goings on? has most of us resigned to accepting that the criminals have essentially taken over.? Playing politics with a potential project that could potentially create a significant number of jobs in this economy is unconscionable but no more so that deliberately perpetuating uncertainty by “kicking the can” tactics with regard to addressing the deficit and the artificial linkage made with tax withholding to keep potential job creators guessing- so coordinating the politics under an illegitimate tax exempt status is window dressing.? I do find it interesting that someone at Media Matters hadn’t culled through the recipient list or otherwise find another means of dispatching such a telling communication.? Negligence?? Stupidity?? Arrogance?? Pick one.? Whatever the case, Rome is still burning.



  2. Dimsdale on January 26, 2012 at 8:31 am

    The fact that Media Matters, the Hillary and Soros co-sponsored and co-foundered liberal attack machine, can get any sort of tax exemption is evidence of the type of corruption that has infiltrated our government.? Despite its claims, MM is no independent organization by any means.? Seriously, has a liberal pol ever been seriously criticized on the page?? For other than daring to agree with conservatives, I mean?
    ?
    MM is the perfect manifestation of the liberal penchant to use psychological projection on their opponents.? If they are accusing conservative organizations, groups or pols of something, you can be certain that they, or their “allies” are already doing it in spades.? Solely attacking Fox (and rarely other news outlets) merely demonstrates that there is a lot of news that is not being reported (I guess that is why Fox is so successful!).
    ?
    At this writing, a check of the MM front page shows a virtually exclusive attack on Fox.? The only exceptions are for a criticism of CNN for letting Breitbart be on the channel.? The glaring omission of the rest of the mainstream media does not bode well for their political affiliations.? It makes them look like “allies” with MM,…



    • Dimsdale on January 26, 2012 at 8:32 am

      (cont.)….It makes them look like “allies” with MM, no?
      ?
      ?
      Shouldn’t a “watchdog” group, and in particular, a politically motivated one, at least pretend to be circumspect in its coverage if it wants to claim tax exempt status from the government?



    • GdavidH on January 27, 2012 at 6:48 pm

      Witness this administrations DOJ and tell me any entity aligned with the left is worried about any interference.



  3. NH-Jim on January 26, 2012 at 2:04 pm

    Well, you’ve heard of Crony-Capitalism, now we have Crony-Journalism.? No way to deny it, kids.



    • Dimsdale on January 26, 2012 at 2:23 pm

      It goes beyond cronyism: it is incestuous!



  4. JBS on January 27, 2012 at 10:34 am

    Arrogance! Pure venal naked arrogance. Combines with an attitude that MM is above the law. This belies how the tax-exempt MM does business and what their corporate mentality is. They don’t care what anyone else thinks; they know that no one will even try to touch them let alone arrest their illegal activities.
    The Democrats have put into action what Reagan said to Republicans; sadly, Republicans have either forgotten that sage advice or never learned it. They certainly don’t practice it.



  5. Dimsdale on January 27, 2012 at 10:52 am

    The silence from our resident lefty boosters is deafening!



    • GdavidH on January 27, 2012 at 6:49 pm

      Agreed!



    • crystal4 on January 29, 2012 at 10:50 am

      Silent as the hypocrisy at times is so thick, I need higher boots.
      ?Heritage, CATO, Crossroads, Freedomworks, Tea Party Express, or the multiple tax exempt organizations of the Koch Bros. Money laundering propaganda machines. These organizations also lie about the $$$ spent on lobbying…which would deprive them of their tax exempt status.
      I love that Fox keeps calling out Media Matters using valuable air time. They are wild about the exposure of their lies.



    • Dimsdale on January 29, 2012 at 10:50 pm

      Why wouldn’t Fox be “wild about the exposure of their (MM) lies”?? The sad thing is that the other networks are silent about it (unless I missed it, of course; feel free to point out the coverage), exposing their biases.? The difference between Heritage et al. is that, unlike MM (or maybe even ACORN and its spinoffs) is that they remain in compliance with the tax code.? Interestingly (and by that, I mean hypocritically), MM sells itself as a group designed to “police” this activity, but instead, is the one caught doing it.? More projection, perhaps?
      ?
      So let’s put the “boomerang” finger away for a minute.? Do you agree or disagree that what MM got caught doing, and presumably has been doing (and may continue to do) should trigger an IRS investigation?? I will cede to you that if Heritage et al. are stupid enough to broadcast an analogous transgression, I will similarly criticize them.



  6. Lynn on January 29, 2012 at 11:28 am

    Crystal, I could be wrong, I admit I have a phobia about tax laws. However, in Steve’s first paragraph, he says “(MM) can have any opinion they want ….but they CAN’T (my emphasis) do this while claiming to be a non-partisan group”. I believe that at least Heritage and The Tea Party Express announce their bias for conservative beliefs loud and strong. They do not pretend to be unbiased. As for partisan, which normally means one political party or another, The Tea Party definitely does not work for one-party or another they use the criteria of following the Constitution over political party as their guide to support candidates.? OK, weigh in and tell me where I’m wrong!!!!



  7. Dimsdale on January 31, 2012 at 11:07 am

    “Media Matters, but the truth doesn’t.”



  8. Dimsdale on February 1, 2012 at 9:35 pm

    If Fox is “fair an balanced”, then MM must be “unfair and unbalanced”.



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