16 Facts About Media Matters

Media Matters for America is a politically left-leaning 501, nonprofit organization and media watchdog group.

John Diaz, editorial page editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, said by over-factoring conservative columns in smaller newspapers, Media Matters' study had overestimated how many conservative columns appeared in daily newspapers.

Diaz said Media Matters had obscured the nuanced ideological positions of some columnists classified in the study as conservative.

An annual feature on the Media Matters website is the title of "Misinformer of the Year", which is given to the journalist, commentator, or network that Media Matters contends was responsible for the most factual errors or claims.

Media Matters has a policy of not comprehensively listing donors.

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Media Matters has hired several of the best known political professionals who have worked for Democratic politicians and for other progressive groups.

In 2014, the staff of Media Matters voted to join the Service Employees International Union .

Media Matters management had declined to recognize the union through a card check process, instead exercising its right to force a union election.

In September 2007, Media Matters reported on radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh saying Iraq War veterans opposed to the war as "the phony soldiers".

Limbaugh said he was the victim of a "smear" by Media Matters, which had taken out of context and selectively edited his comments.

In October 2007 television and radio host and commentator Bill O'Reilly said a Media Matters headline declaring "O'Reilly surprised 'there was no difference' between Harlem restaurant and other New York restaurants" took out of context comments he made regarding a pleasant dinner he shared with Al Sharpton at a Harlem restaurant.

O'Reilly said Media Matters misleadingly took comments spoken five minutes apart and presented them as one.

Media Matters's said the boycotts' "threat of attack on my advertisers and stations" had violated her First Amendment free speech rights.

Media Matters said that, as the boycott was not "government-sanctioned censorship", her First Amendment rights had not been violated.

Media Matters has been criticized by conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro, who accused it of targeting those with opposing political views with boycotts.

Media Matters has been criticized for ignoring derogatory comments made by Joy Reid while focusing on comments made by Fox News hosts like Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham.