Democratic Megadonors Bankroll Media Matters, Leaked Donor List Shows

[Valin]

Washington Free Beacon

Andrew Kerr    
January 4, 2024

Media Matters for America, a progressive activist group that masquerades as a media watchdog, is bankrolled by some of the largest Democratic donors in the country, according to a confidential donor list obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

As a charity, Media Matters is not required to disclose its donors to the public. But the group appears to have mistakenly identified its five largest contributors in a public filing to the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General in November. Media Matters received $4 million from Indiana-based shopping mall magnate Debora Simon, who pledged to do everything in her power to defeat former President Donald Trump and has contributed $53 million to Democratic politicians and groups since 2018. The group also received $1.75 million from Bain Capital co-chairman Joshua Bekenstein and his wife, Anita, both of whom are prolific contributors to Democratic super PACs.

The list, which contains a notice that it is "not open for public inspection," also identifies gay rights activist Tim Gill’s private foundation as a major contributor to Media Matters. Gill is known for working with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D.) to bring "dark money" to the state level in the mid-2000s. Media Matters also disclosed the Stephen Silberstein Foundation and the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation as major contributors in the list.

Media Matters’s donor list is the latest evidence of the so-called watchdog’s partisan leanings. Founded in 2004 by Clinton loyalist David Brock, Media Matters received tax-exempt status after claiming to the IRS it would identify and correct conservative misinformation in the news by presenting a "full and fair exposition of the pertinent facts." The group dropped its objective façade in 2016 when it threw its support behind Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, according to the New Republic. Media Matters also shared an address with American Bridge 21st Century, one of the largest Democratic super PACs in the country.

(Snip)