Accuracy in Media
From Free net encyclopedia
Accuracy In Media (AIM) is an American organization which monitors the news media in the United States. Founded in 1969 by Reed Irvine, at the time an economist with the Federal Reserve, AIM describes itself as "a non-profit, grassroots citizens watchdog of the news media that critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that have received slanted coverage". It commonly attacks what it sees as liberal bias in the media. In spite of AIM's claim of political neutrality, many mainstream media sources and liberal media watchdog groups such as Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting refer to it as a conservative organization.
AIM openly maintains many ties to conservative groups and is known for criticizing journalists with accusations of leftist bias, but rarely (if ever) levels claims of conservative bias against reporters or news organizations. Its positions on issues would also usually be classified as conservative: AIM editorialized in support of Nicaraguan Contra leaders such as José Francisco Cardenal. It also supported the Committee for a Free Afghanistan, a US group that backed the Afghans who fought the Soviet invasion. Also supported are Augusto Pinochet, who was called a savior of Chile, and the group often quotes from The Epoch Times, a group that publishes information on Chinese human rights abuses.
AIM publishes a bimonthly newsletter called the AIM Report, of which Irvine is the editor. In these newsletters Irvine often encourages subscribers to write to people or organizations urging them to change their policies.
In the early days, AIM was run primarily by Irvine and then-executive secretary Abraham Kalish. Kalish and Irvine would send letters to the editors of many newspapers promoting their organization. If a letter was rejected, AIM would buy space in that paper and print the letter. Beginning in 1975, AIM began purchasing stock in major media companies, which allowed Irvine to attend their annual meetings and make AIM's views known. He has been described as combative and occasionally rude during those encounters. Irvine now has an annual private meeting with the publisher of The New York Times, which critics say serves primarily to isolate other shareholders from Irvine's campaigning. Times vice-chair Sydney Gruson claims "I never find any merit in AIM's allegations."
At CBS's meetings, Irvine frequently denounced Walter Cronkite as a Soviet dupe. At a 1986 meeting, Irvine requested that Cronkite be removed from the CBS board of directors for allegedly supporting unilateral disarmament.
AIM also famously denounced journalist Helen Marmor, who in 1983 produced a documentary for NBC concerning the Russian Orthodox Church. AIM contended that "it ignored the repressive religious policies of the Soviet state."
The group also denounced New York Times reporter Raymond Bonner for his reporting in January 1982 of the El Mozote massacre in El Salvador. AIM devoted an entire edition of its AIM Report to Bonner, reporting that "Mr. Bonner had been worth a division to the communists in Central America." The issue included some insinuations about Bonner's political sympathies, noting that he had once worked for Ralph Nader.
In a December 13, 2005 column AIM columnist Kliff Kincaid called for a "Quit Gay Sex" campaign to rival "Quit Smoking Campaigns" launched by certain media outlets in the United States. He contended that homosexual sex is widespread and homosexual men "simply cannot stop having homosexual sex" and that it was spreading HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.[1]
Critics say AIM's attacks on the media seem to have little to do with actual misrepresentation or inaccuracies in media accounts. They assert that Irvine and AIM is quick to attack groups that do not fit in the group's ideological niche. Donald Graham, the publisher of The Washington Post, alleges that Irvine tends to "throw around accusations about people being communists."
AIM has also been vigorously defensive of former Senator Joseph McCarthy, referring to his critics as "liars" and "communists", and has defended his legacy, claiming that he never once fingered an innocent person in his accusations during the red scare. Kliff Kincaid has made a specific mention of wikipedia in attacking George Clooney for his film about McCarthy, referring to it with the headline: "WORSE THAN WIKIPEDIA".[2]
Funding
Irvine claims that 75 percent of AIM's funding comes from contributors donating $100 (USD) or less. Only three donors of the remainder are given by name: the Allied Educational Foundation, Shelby Cullom Davis, and billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife
Other groups that have supported AIM include Mobil Oil and Union Carbide. In 1985, AIM received a $20,000 grant from the Adolph Coors Foundation, and $7,000 from the Texaco Philanthropic Foundation. In 1986, it received $5,000 from Texaco. [3]
In December 2004, the American Institute of Philanthropy gave AIM a grade of "C+" for not-for-profit effectiveness. It noted that it would have awarded a grade of "A", but reduced the grade because AIM retains 4.1 years' worth of operating expenses in assets. It feels that AIM is in a poor position to ask donors for more funding when it is already cash-rich.
See also
- Arkansas Project- The project to discredit President Clinton.
- Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting