About CMD

The Center for Media and Democracy is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan media and consumer watchdog group that focuses on:

Investigating and countering P.R. campaigns and spin by corporations, industries, and government agencies about products and issues that affect our health, liberty, economic opportunities, environment, and the vitality of the democratic process.
Reporting that promotes informed decision-making about products and policies, especially those affecting health, the economy, the environment, and individual rights, and aids citizen involvement and grassroots action.
Advancing transparency and media literacy to help consumers recognize the forces shaping the information they receive about products and issues affecting their lives.
Promoting "open content" media that enable people from all walks of life to "be the media" and help write the history of companies, front groups, opinion leaders, and public policy.

CMD is led by Lisa Graves.

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

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

The Center:

Supports strategic public education campaigns, such as our work to help protect consumers and educate the public about financial reforms and also health insurance industry spin, in addition to our response to the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case expanding corporate "rights," our continuing role in monitoring high-tech surveillance of Americans in the name of national security, and our successful Defend The Press campaign with the National Press Club and other partners.
Launches original investigations into issues such as the widespread reliance on FakeTV News promoting consumer products without full disclosure and our work exposing misinformation about U.S. surveillance practices and national security policies.
Publishes PRWatch and The Weekly Spin, which provides original reporting and analysis of spin about products, companies, and policies in the news.
Publishes SourceWatch, a specialized, collaborative encyclopedia of people, groups and issues shaping the public agenda.
And staffs the PR Watchdog Resource Center, including answering inquiries from journalists and other members of the public and sharing best practices.