Everything about Accuracy In Media totally explained
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". Since Irvine's death in 2004, the group has been operated by writer Cliff Kincaid and a handful of conspiracy-minded activists.
It commonly attacks what it sees as
media bias. Despite AIM's claim of political neutrality, it's frequently described by the mainstream media and other media watchdog groups as a conservative organization.
History
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."
Publications
AIM publishes a twice-monthly newsletter called the
AIM Report, originally edited by Reed Irvine. These newsletters often encourage subscribers to write to people or organizations urging them to change their policies. This has become daily over the Internet and through e-mail with current AIM Editor
Cliff Kincaid and AIM executive secretary and media analyst
Roger Aronoff since
2000.
Controversies
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 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'd once worked for
Ralph Nader.
In 1998, at the
Conservative Political Action Conference, Reed Irvine claimed there was a conspiracy within the
Republican Party to "suppress investigations of Clinton administration scandals."
Criticism
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 don't 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 defending his legacy, claiming that he never once fingered an innocent person in his accusations during the
red scare he helped to fan.
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The New York Times characterizes AIM as an often effective right-wing advocacy organization, "their criticism of television and the press is often provocative. But it's always tendentious. Accuracy in Media, to judge by its newsletters, finds television to be a hotbed of leftist propaganda.
Funding
Irvine claims that 75 percent of AIM's funding comes from contributors donating US$100 or less. Only three donors of the remainder are given by name: the
Allied Educational Foundation,
Shelby Cullom Davis, and billionaire
Richard Mellon Scaife. Scaife gave $2 million to Accuracy in Media since 1977 -1997.
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.
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's already cash-rich.
AIM's work
Vincent Foster conspiracy claims
Accuracy in Media has received a substantial amount of funding from Scaife who paid
Christopher W. Ruddy to investigate allegations that President
William Clinton was connected to the suicide of
Vincent Foster. AIM claims that "Foster was murdered", which is contrary to three independent reports including one by
Kenneth Starr. AIM faults the media for not picking up on the conspiracy. The organization has even gone to court for documents and recordings linked to the case.
AIM credits much of its reporting on the Foster case to Ruddy. Yet, his work has been called a "hoax" and "discredited" by conservatives like
Ann Coulter, it was also disputed by the
American Spectator, which caused Scaife to ending his funding of the
Arkansas Project with the publisher. As CNN explained on February 28, 1997, "The [Starr] report refutes claims by conservative political organizations that Foster was the victim of a murder plot and coverup," but "despite those findings, right-wing political groups have continued to allege that there was more to the death and that the president and First Lady tried to cover it up."
AIM speaker Hugh Turley (co author of
Failure of the Public Trust) currently operates a Foster conspiracy website at FBICOVER-UP.com. While Ruddy operates a conservative news website,
NewsMax, that still claims there's a conspiracy and faults the media.
On October 20, 2006, Accuracy in Media released a list of 27 questions to pose at the
Fox News Executive meeting that wwas attended by AIM editor Cliff Kincaid.
Of these 27 questions, 8 dwell on
Rupert Murdoch's relationship with the Clintons and how that may have affected Fox News coverage.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Accuracy In Media'.
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