About CMD

The Center for Media and Democracy was founded by John Stauber in 1993 as an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, public interest organization. CMD focuses on:

• Countering propaganda by investigating and reporting on behind-the-scenes public relations campaigns by corporations, industries, governments and other powerful institutions.
• Informing and assisting grassroots citizen activism that promotes public health, economic justice, ecological sustainability and human rights.
• Promoting media literacy to help the public recognize the forces shaping the information they receive about issues that affect their lives.
• Sponsoring "open content" media that enable citizens from all walks of life to "be the media" and to participate in creating media content.

To view the Center for Media and Democracy's most recent Annual Report, click here. (PDF download)

To see what journalists say about CMD, including the late Molly Ivins, Bill Moyers, Eric Schlosser, Amy Goodman and others, click here.

The members of CMD's Board of Directors are Deborah Bey, Ellen Braune, Joseph Mendelson, David Merritt, Jan Miyasaki, Inger Stole, and executive director Lisa Graves.

The Center is engaged in the following work:

• Publishing SourceWatch, a specialized, collaborative encyclopedia of people, groups and issues shaping the public agenda. SourceWatch also serves as a clearinghouse for information on the following issues: Global Corporations; Front Groups; Climate Change and COP15 and interlocked issues of Coal and Nuclear power; Election Protection in the U.S.; and the Tobacco Industry.
• Launching original Investigations, including CMD's historic 2006 exposure of widespread FakeTV News.
• Publishing The Weekly Spin, which provides weekly reporting on public relations, propaganda and media spin and major substantive issues CMD is focusing on.
• Maintaining PRWatch, which offers original CMD reporting and analysis.
• Staffing our PR Watchdog Resource Center, including answering inquiries from journalists and other members of the public seeking to understand the forces and influences behind current issues.
• Training and sharing best practices and success stories with citizen journalists and activist groups, through workshops and CMD's publications.
• Writing books including:
  • The Best War Ever: Lies, Damned Lies and the Mess in Iraq
  • Toxic Sludge Is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry
  • Mad Cow USA, which documents the PR coverup of human and animal health risks from mad cow disease
  • Trust Us, We're Experts: How Industry Manipulates Science and Gambles With Your Future
  • Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq
  • Banana Republicans: How the Right Wing is Turning America Into a One-Party State
• Speaking out in public education campaigns, including public speaking and organizing activities such as CMD's successful 2007 Defend The Press campaign with the National Press Club and other partners.