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Draft:Media and Democracy Project

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Media and Democracy Project
Formation2020; 5 years ago (2020)
Type501(c)4 social welfare organization
Location
Area served
United States
MethodAdvocacy
Websitehttps://www.mediaanddemocracyproject.org/

The Media and Democracy Project (MAD), a media-focused public interest group, advocates for news reporting that supports democracy. MAD believes that the media obscures important political issues through practices such as sanewashing and horse race journalism, and that the media downplays threats to democracy in the US.[1]

MAD, a 501(c)(4) organization based in New York City, was founded in 2020. MAD describes itself as nonpartisan. The Capital Research Center describes MAD as left-of-center.[2]

FCC petition

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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 owners of WTXF failed to meet the minimum standards of character and the obligation to operate in the public interest required by the Communications Act of 1934, to an extent "so egregious as to shock the conscience." The petition cited as evidence the judicial record of the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit against Fox News, which found that WTXF knowingly and repeatedly aired false narratives about the 2020 presidential election.[3][4] Comments supporting the petition were filed by founding president of Fox Broadcasting Jamie Kellner;[5] former Fox commentator Bill Kristol; former FCC chair Alfred Sikes, a Republican; and former FCC commissioner Ervin Duggan, a Democrat.[6][7] Fox characterized the petition as a frivolous assault on its First Amendment rights.[8] The FCC denied the petition in January, 2025.[9][10] MAD has appealed the denial.[11]

Recommendations for good journalism

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During both the 2022[12] and 2024[1] U.S. election campaigns, MAD issued guidelines for pro-democracy reporting practices, including:

  • celebrating poll workers, voters, and the election process;
  • prioritizing coverage of issues that affect voters above election forecasts and poll results;
  • writing accurate, informative headlines;
  • holding politicians accountable for their positions and behavior, which includes calling out obvious lies and bigotry and exposing candidates who foment political violence.

MAD performed a study of five Sunday morning news shows: “This Week” on ABC, “Face the Nation” on CBS, “Meet the Press” on NBC, “State of the Union” on CNN, and “Fox News Sunday” on Fox. They collected information on every guest who appeared on these shows in 2021.[13] They found:

  • More than half of the guests were politicians. MAD cites research finding that a focus on politicians rather than subject-matter experts increases cynicism about politics and reduces knowledge of political issues.[14]
  • 17% of the guests were experts on COVID.
  • On issues other than COVID, very few guests were subject-matter experts. For example, only 1% of the guests were experts on climate change. Only one guest was a drug policy expert.
  • Minorities and women were underrepresented. 80% of the guests were White and 77% of the guests were men.

Advocacy for freedom of the press and independent journalism

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MAD accuses the Trump administration of undermining freedom of the press, citing Donald Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit against CBS and President Trump’s refusal to allow the Associated Press to attend press briefings because the AP declined to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. [15][16]

MAD advocates for the PRESS Act, proposed federal legislation with bipartisan support that would make it illegal for the government to force journalists to disclose their sources or to seize journalists' materials that identify their sources. Currently, journalists are occasionally fined or jailed for refusing to disclose their sources, and their records are occasionally seized by law enforcement.[17][18][19]

MAD makes available to the public a list of over 2,000 community-focused news outlets across the U.S.[20][21] MAD is a member of the Rebuild Local News coalition[22] and is a founding member of the Prison Journalism Project.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sullivan, Margaret (August 14, 2024). "Here's an urgently needed, pre-election reform plan for the media".
  2. ^ "Media and Democracy Project". Influence Watch.
  3. ^ Vadala, Nick (July 7, 2023). "Petition seeks to deny renewal of Fox 29′s broadcast license". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  4. ^ Feld, Harold (August 29, 2023). "My Insanely Long Field Guide to the Fox29 Philadelphia (WTFX-TV) License Renewal Challenge". Wetmachine.
  5. ^ Keys, Matthew (August 22, 2023). "First Fox president joins fight against local station's license renewal". TheDesk.
  6. ^ Keys, Matthew (July 31, 2023). "Former FCC official joins fight against WTXF license renewal". TheDesk.
  7. ^ Raynor Ave. (August 21, 2023). "License Renewal Application for Fox Philadelphia". NewsDirect.
  8. ^ Brodkin, Jon (August 24, 2023). "Fox TV license renewal may be in jeopardy as FCC invites public response". ars technica.
  9. ^ the Acting Chief, Media Bureau (January 16, 2025). "MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission.
  10. ^ Keys, Matthew (January 16, 2025). "FCC tosses petition that challenged licensed of Fox-owned WTXF". The Desk.
  11. ^ Daigon, Glenn (February 24, 2025). "Standing Up to Fox News". The Progressive Magazine.
  12. ^ Hansbury, Brian (October 23, 2022). "Media isn't doing nearly enough to defend democracy — but it's not too late to change". salon.
  13. ^ Reiss, Jonathan (June 28, 2022). "What Is the Point of Sunday Political "News" Shows?". DAME magazine.
  14. ^ Zoizner, Alon (February 2021). "The Consequences of Strategic News Coverage for Democracy: A Meta-Analysis". Communication Research. 48 (1). SAGE Journals: 3–25. doi:10.1177/0093650218808691.
  15. ^ Blinder, Robin (9 May 2025). "Liberal, conservative or just plain truthful?". Editor and Publisher.
  16. ^ Reiss, Jonathan (9 May 2025). "America and our democracy are under attack". Editor and Publisher.
  17. ^ Nakhnikian, Elise. "U.S. Senate can protect our democracy by passing the PRESS Act". Tucson Sentinel.
  18. ^ "RE: PRESS Act Markup (S.2074)" (PDF). Freedom of the Press Foundation. June 4, 2024.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ DemLabs (March 29, 2024). "Media And Democracy Project: Mapping Your Local Journalist SuperHeroes". Medium.
  21. ^ Craven, Jess (June 16, 2023). "Substack Live with Qasim Rashid". Chop Wood, Carry Water.
  22. ^ "COALITION: WHO WE REPRESENT". Rebuild Local News.
  23. ^ "Our Supporters". Prison Journalism Project.
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