I’ve read the Daily Caller story about the e-mails between DOJ and Media Matters for A Socialist America. I haven’t blogged about it until now because I just don’t think it’s the big deal a lot on the right think it is. You can read through all the e-mails here. In the past this might have been a big story, because the media operated on the pretense that it was objective. Does MMFA even make such a pretense? I don’t believe it does. They are partisan hacks, and fully admit to being as much. It’s not like they go through any great length to hide their biases, under the pretense of being objective.
So why is this a story? I would expect any Administration of either party to work with its relevant partisan media to spin stories. With the death of “objective” media, this is how things are going to be. What’s going to be the reaction when a Republican Administration is in the White House, and the left FOIAs documents that show the Administration working closely with the Daily Caller?
This would have been a story if they were seen in a cozy collaborative relationship with the Washington Post, or CNN, or any other outlet that still likes to pretend it’s an objective news outlet. That a partisan hack of a media outfit is helping out Administration flunkies is not shocking, it’s expected.
Actually, the pretense of objectivity wasn’t always so. 19th century newspapers were pretty open about their biases. “Objectivity” seems to be more of a modern thing…
I think the issue here is a private entity used a propaganda arm of the government for purposes of plausible deniability. IOW the government can get away with outrageous pressure tactics that they would dare not use if the pressure came directly from a government flunky.
Unless things have changed in the past year, not only does MMFA claim to be non-partisan, that claim apparently entitles them to tax-exempt status.
AndyN stole my thunder, I was under the same impression.