The Big Question – NARN Style
By Mitch Berg
I’ve just confirmed it – Eric Black, soon-to-be-former Star/Tribune reporter and blogger, and soon to be reporter for the overtly-partisan, deep-pocketed-lefty-funded groupblog Minnesota Monitor, will be a guest on the Northern Alliance, Volume II, this coming Saturday.
Ed and I will be talking with him about the state of the Strib, his move, and – the part I’m most interested in – how “traditional” American journalism (which really isn’t all that traditional, and in fact is less than a hundred years old) is changing.
This should be a great hour of radio. Make sure you tune in.
June 12th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Do you have proof of the funding source of MN Mon?
June 12th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Proof is a big word.
There is plenty of evidence; offices initially shared with Media Matters (they’ve moved), plus the admission (against interest) of at least one Minnesota Monitor staffer that “liberals with deep pockets” were behind the site.
I have no problem with that, by the way. Let ’em get any sponsorship they want. Just be honest about it.
June 12th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
If Black still maintains that he is unbiased in his journalism, ask him his opinion on MM’s bias or lack of bias, or whether MM is in the business of producing straight news reporting or political commentary.
Might make for an illuminating response.
June 12th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
I’m working at an undisclosed out-of-state location this week (and last) but will try and tune in online. I assume I don’t have to be concerned that you will allow this opportunity to press for some truth to the puppet master’s identity to slip by.
June 12th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Do you have proof of the funding source of MN Mon?
Yes, they are starting to show up in the IRS reports, and annual reports of their parent non-profits.
One of them is http://www.brettfoundation.org
This makes Minimon technically a non-profit and subject to all of the regulations against direct campaigning that other non-profits have.
Their IRS filings for 2006 should be available on line soon and we should be better able to determine who funds them.
June 12th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
From http://www.brettfoundation.org/~brett/?q=socialjustice :
Exclusions
The Brett Family Foundation does not fund the following:
* Grants to individuals
* Programs outside Colorado
* Religious organizations
* Candidates for political office
* Individual public or private schools (k-12, graduate, post graduate)
* Large public charities
June 13th, 2007 at 8:31 am
Color me confused, but where on the Brett Foundation’s site does it note that it donated money to the MN Monitor?
June 13th, 2007 at 8:39 am
Never mind, found it. So MON, your proof is that this foundation donated to Center for Independent Media to pay for journalism training for its Colorado based bloggers?
Furthermore, please explain this line of yours, “This makes Minimon technically a non-profit and subject to all of the regulations against direct campaigning that other non-profits have.”
Is the MN Monitor registered as a non-profit? Just because you receive funds from a foundation does not make you a non-profit.
June 13th, 2007 at 8:57 am
The requirements for the Brett Family Foundation grants require that the grantee be a registered 501(c)(3) public charity.
I think (I’m not a tax lawyer), that the Brett Family Foundation could lose it’s non-profit status if it awarded grants to groups that were not non-profits. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
CIM runs operations in three states, Iowa, Minnesota and Colorado.
June 13th, 2007 at 10:45 am
Furthermore, the tax returns of the Brett Family Foundation state that they gave no money to any organizations that were not 501(c)(3)s. (for 2005).
It’s possible that MiniMoni is organized as a 501(c)(4) while CIM is a 501(c)(3), and the financially separate their educational and political activities. We’ll know a lot more as soon as the 2006 tax filings become available.
June 13th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Looks to me like fulcrum is angling for a fat Soros stipend!
You can be sure that the path to Minimoni’s funding fountain is as cryptoclastic a route as possible..these moonbats cover their lies well.