Center for Media and Democracy

Overview

The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) is a nonprofit watchdog and investigative research organization based in Madison, Wisconsin, that publishes original investigations into corporate public relations, lobbying and political spending.

History

CMD was founded in 1993 by writer John Stauber. It publishes PR Watch, its original investigative reporting outlet, alongside SourceWatch (launched in 2003 as Disinfopedia, renamed in 2005), ALECexposed.org, and ExposedbyCMD.org. Sheldon Rampton, an early CMD editor, launched SourceWatch as a collaborative wiki tracking public relations firms, think tanks and industry-funded organizations. Lisa Graves served as CMD's executive director from 2009 to 2018, when Arn Pearson succeeded her; Graves continues to serve as board president.

Notable works

CMD's "ALEC Exposed" investigation into the American Legislative Exchange Council was featured in Bill Moyers' 2012 documentary "United States of ALEC" and won the Sidney Award from the Sidney Hillman Foundation and the Izzy Award from Ithaca College's Park Center for Independent Media. A 2006 CMD report documented 77 television stations that aired video news releases without disclosing their corporate or public-relations origin.

Key personnel

Executive Director: Arn Pearson
Board President: Lisa Graves
Founder: John Stauber

Audience

CMD's research is used by journalists, policymakers and the public researching corporate influence on politics and media, and it discloses funders who contribute $5,000 or more annually.

Location and contact info

Address
520 University Ave, Ste 305
Madison, WI 53703
Phone
(608) 260-9713
Website
https://www.prwatch.org