According to Axios, Democrat operatives are allegedly facilitating news sites to push campaigns in close states during the midterm elections. The article discusses 51 sites with names such as the Milwaukee Metro Times, the Mecklenburg Herald, and the Tri-City Record. These sites are reportedly being supported by the American Independent (TAI), which was “launched by Democratic operative and fundraiser David Brock — also known for founding the left-leaning media watchdog Media Matters for America.”
Axios refers to the array of sites as the “Democrats’ swing-state local news ploy.” The sites present “ostensible local media outlets churning out Democrat-aligned news content.”
David Brock has long been someone known as an extreme figure in politics and was closely associated with Hillary Clinton’s campaigns. Brock, however, has always given figures like Clinton deniability in direct responsibility for his actions.
TAI and related groups appear to have been established to create the usual layers of obscurity.
Some of these sites are reportedly managed by Local Report, Inc., which appears linked to TAI.
American Independent bills itself as:
“the No. 1 digital platform for progressive news, reaching millions of people each month. We strive to report with honesty and integrity and shine a light on those in power who obstruct progress.”
The president of TAI is Matt Fuehrmeyer who formerly worked as a senior aide with the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee and the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. TAI Vice President and Executive Editor is Jessica McCreight who reportedly is a former Obama communications staff member.
Despite promising to “shine light” on media coverage, Axios reported that TAI was less than forthcoming when confronted on these alleged faux media sites: “McCreight, TAI’s executive editor, described its relationship with Local Report Inc. as a “co-publishing agreement” but would not say whether her organization has editorial control over the sites’ content.”
What is interesting is the report that Democrats have been using sites like CourierNewsroom.com to flood social media with “stories” supporting Democrats — at a time when Democrats were denouncing disinformation and calling for bans on these sties. That site is funded by Acronym, a Democrat-aligned nonprofit, which in turn is reportedly funded by “dark money” accounts.
For its part, Media Matters was again in the news this week in opposing the restoration of free speech protections on social media sites like Twitter. President Angelo Carusone denounced a possible Elon Musk takeover as potentially disastrous. He warned that Musk “wants to put in place and the way that he wants to use the platform, as a way to balance out those other social networks.” Balancing other social networks? Perish the thought.
This is, however, the quote that most stood out:
“He likened the potential Musk acquisition of Twitter to when Fox News launched more than two decades ago, offering an alternative to balance what its founders viewed as a media landscape that catered to liberals. “That’s what Fox became — and it had a profound distorting effect on the news media, on our society. And if you look at what Musk says about social media, we are in the same moment, just updated 30 years late.”
(For full disclosure, I currently work as a legal analyst for Fox).
The fear that Twitter could become a new Fox is telling. Fox remains the most popular cable news network; it not only often doubles the viewership of its rivals, but more Democrats watch Fox than CNN.
The comment is the latest example of panic on the left over the potential loss of control over speech on social media. The reference to Fox highlights the obvious problem with using corporate censorship if there is any alternative to censored or biased sites. Previously, Democratic Reps. Anna Eshoo and Jerry McNerney of California wrote a letter to cable carriers like AT&T to ask why they are still allowing people to watch FOX News. It did not work. Whatever the desire to ban Fox, the cable carriers know that they cannot block the most popular news source on cable.
The fear is that Twitter could not just flourish in offering a site with free speech protections but undermine the extensive system of corporate censorship established over the last ten years. They have reason to be worried. Despite a bizarre campaign by Facebook to get people to embrace censorship, most users clearly want a type of common carrier on social media without corporate censors. If a major social media were to return to such free speech protections, it could indeed become the dominant social media company…and that would be a good thing.
I think Professor Turley has finally realized the evil intent behind everything Democrat. Add the low information people and the useful idiots and you get to where we are today. Congratulations.
Jonathan: So now let’s move on to your mention of Elon Musk. You say that if Twitter looked more like Fox that would be a “good thing”. As a paid Fox contributor I would expect your bias in favor of Fox. But coming from someone who only criticizes “liberal bias” in the media your claim seems a bit self-serving.
Musk’s off and on bid to buy Twitter comes coincidentally as Musk faces a deposition and an embarrassing trial in about a week. So Musk is between a rock and a hard place. Either go through with the deal or face defeat at trial and maybe have to pay $1billion as a penalty. Now as to your claim Musk would bring “free speech” back to Twitter. What would that look like? Musk says the first thing he will do is reinstate Trump’s account. More incendiary rhetoric and conspiracy theories from the Trumpster about how the election was “stolen”, about how the DOJ is conducting a “witch hunt”–and then encouraging his MAGA, Proud Boys and Oathkeeper supporters to do what they did on Jan. 6. Is this the kind of “free speech” you have in mind? Now Trump says he won’t return to Twitter. Don’t count on it. Truth Social has turned out to be a dismal failure. TS has about 513,000 active users. Twitter has 217 million. Does anyone think Trump would not jump at the chance to return to Twitter?
One thing is certain. If Musk actually goes through with the deal, and that’s far from certain, he will have to answer to his billionaire investor friends. They will probably have a lot to say on what is allowed on Twitter. Will one of his investors, Saudi’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud , want a lot of critics of the Saudi kingdom’s human rights record on Twitter? Unlikely. Twitter would reflect the views of Musk and his billionaire investors–just as Truth Social reflects only the views of Donald Trump. It has little to do with actual free expression.
Typical leftie BS: “It’s fine when we question elections, but when you do it it’s a crime.” It’s game over for you and your ilk.
I like Turley’s overall focus on free speech, in today’s cancel culture world what Turley is doing is both admirable and courageous.
The Democrats really have been encouraging the public to slicing and dicing at our freedom of speech like a bunch of Marxists. I think the Democrats just don’t like the United States anymore, or as some here have written, Democrats hate the United States.
“Media Matters Founder David Brock Tied to ‘Ploy’ of Media Sites Favoring Democrats”
Big surprise.
The Democrats are trying to rig the 2022 elections like they did the 2020 elections. They spend over four (4) years rigging the 2020 election with poisoned propaganda built upon pure hate. They will even resort to doing things that are illegal and unconstitutional as long as what they do isn’t shot down until after the election when the votes can’t not be removed from the voting box and tally. The ends justifies the means to immoral Democrats and if you talk to them and really listen to what they’re saying that’s exactly what they’re telling you using cover words.
I’ve been an independent my entire adult life always doing my best to vote FOR something and not AGAINST something. I’ve voted for Democrats and Republicans across the board in all levels of political offices from President to Congress to State & Local all the way down to School Boards but after what I’ve witnessed over the last 15 years I can no longer justify voting for any Democrat for any office. Democrats are totalitarian wolves in faux Democracy clothing.
There has been fundamental shift in the Democratic Party and those that support it in the 21st century. With very rare exceptions, Democrats have been slowly brainwashed into hating everything that makes the United States what it is. The modern day totalitarian hive-mind (aka Democrats) hates the United States of America, yes they literally hate (feel intense or passionate dislike for) the USA. They hate that the 1st Amendment applies to everyone, they hate ethical journalism, they hate the concept of innocent until proven guilty, they hate the justice system and anyone or anything that supports it, they hate civility, they hate the police, they hate anyone that opposes their ideology, they hate a Constitution that dares to allow others to oppose their ideology, they hate that our basic freedoms allow some people to make more money than others, they hate that their opposition has any rights, they hate the fact that equal opportunity doesn’t equate to equal outcomes, they hate our system of education, they hate that all our history (both good and bad) make us what we are today, they hate, Hate, HATE. Their hate is a malignant cancer to our society, our way of life i.e. our culture, and our country. They are against all things status quo and they’ve become the evil that they’ve professed being against. This mentality is pure poison to a free society. These hating totalitarians are enemies to the freedom and liberty loving people of the United States.
There’s no freaking way I’m going to support any of the hate filled LIARS, HYPOCRITES, DOUBLE STANDARD MORONS, ANTI-AMERICANS, ANTI-LIBERTY FOOLS, ANTI-CIVILITY INTIMIDATORS & INSTIGATORS, ANTI-CONSTITUTION INDOCTRINATED IMBECILES AND HIVE MINDED TOTALITARIANS of the Democratic Party cult for any elected office at any level of government. The Democratic Party, their totalitarian shifting ideology and their immoral tactics have driven me away and I’m quite likely irretrievably broken with all things related to the Democratic Party. I will vote AGAINST Democrats in all future elections until they pull their collective heads out of their immoral totalitarian arses.
No that doesn’t mean I’m now a card carrying Republican.
“ No that doesn’t mean I’m now a card carrying Republican.”
It means you’re suffering from delusions derived of a constant stream of conspiracy theories and urban myths.
@ Anonymous,
It doesn’t read like Steve’s opinion is the one that’s delusional, at least Steve does a reasonably decent job of explaining himself, most of the time. It reads like you’re the one that’s delusional, unable to engage the content in a coherent way, attacking the messenger and generally just acting like a supreme buffoon. It reads like you’re projecting all of your personal failures on Steve.
I bet there are other readers that would like to know what those conspiracy theories and urban myths you wrote about are?
Someone else can choose to bite the low hanging fruit from fishing internet trolls, I’m not biting.
I heard the mike drop
Saying the leftist/communists are low implies that they have a floor which keeps them above committing some acts.
This would be untrue.
The democrats and their propaganda media has lost all credibility with the majority of legal voters. So now that Washington D.C. has granted illegals the “right” to vote, all illegals in every state should be sent to D.C., so the States can have a fair, honest, and lawful election.
You can tell when a country is going socialist/communist. Rule of law is ignored.
The vote was designed by the Founders to be IMPORTANT.
The vote was generally restricted to male, European, 21, 50 lbs. Sterling/50 acres in 1788, and for good reason.
Citizenship was restricted to Americans.
The communists (liberals, progressives, socialists, democrats, RINOs) have conducted a strategy of divide and conquer since 1860.
They are only as good at it as Americans allow them to be.
Things are building and I’m not sure when some tragedy is going to occur that might blow up everything. The wrong person gets smeared and reacts very personally or violently or one of these guns-drawn FBI raids on a home goes horribly wrong with multiple victims or even deaths of innocents. Most people with concealed carry or just carry permits don’t wonder about flashing their weapons to show how manly they are. But with more of these overwrought FBI raids with 15-20 agents flashing weapons arresting people for protesting at an abortion clinic or because of an altercation at one, someone will not be overawed and won’t cower.
The basic right of free speech and the right to peacefully assemble to protest are under attack. Are we approaching a time when the tree of liberty will need to be watered with the blood of patriots and tyrants, again.
Interesting that people are arrested for protesting the killing of human infants but the killers themselves are protected religiously. Interesting that a key focus of Medicine is to do no harm but major medical centers rush to set up trans-programs where doctors compete to remove healthy, normal organs because there is “lots of money in it”.
Truly things are upside down.
GEB,
Well said.
Things are truly upside down. These are bizarre people at the helm and these are crazy times, and dangerous.