The American Independent is a pseudo-news organization funded by Democratic Party

political action committee In the United States, a political action committee (PAC) is a tax-exempt 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. The l ...

s. According to the organization, its aim is to support journalism which exposes "the nexus of conservative power in Washington." The current institute, started by

David Brock David Brock is an American liberal political consultant, author, and commentator who founded the media watchdog group Media Matters for America. He has been described by ''Time'' as "one of the most influential operatives in the Democratic Par ...

in 2014, is a relaunch of the former state-based digital news-gathering network known as the American Independent News Network. As of 2024, the American Independent had state level affiliates in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Its outlets microtarget ideologically moderate and progressive female voters, seeking to sway them to vote for Democrats. The American Independent is run in concert with

American Bridge 21st Century American Bridge 21st Century or AB PAC is a liberal American Super PAC and opposition research group that supports Democratic candidates and opposes Republican candidates. Founded by David Brock in 2010 and associated with Media Matters for ...

, the largest Democratic Party

opposition research In politics, opposition research (also called oppo research) is the practice of collecting information on a political opponent or other adversary that can be used to discredit or otherwise weaken them. The information can include biographical, l ...

group. The American Independent does not disclose its donors. According to ''The Washington Post'', "The Independent has quietly positioned itself on the edge of an emerging and controversial industry fueled by ideological donors who are looking to further political agendas with the trappings of old-fashioned journalism."

History

The American Independent News Network was founded as the Center for Independent Media in 2006 by David S. Bennahum, a former journalist with ''

Wired Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...

''. The group had a stated mission of "investigating and disseminating news that impacts public debate and advances the common good." It operated a news network which consisted of state-based daily news sites ''

The Colorado Independent ''The Colorado Independent'' was a nonprofit media organization, first reporting news via its online website that was started in July 2006, later revitalized again in September 2013 under new Colorado-based management. History ''The Colorado ...

'', ''Florida Independent'', ''Iowa Independent'', ''Michigan Messenger'', ''

Minnesota Independent ''The Minnesota Independent'', formerly ''Minnesota Monitor'', and sometimes known as MnIndy, was an independent online news website. It launched in August 2006, with a focus on coverage of political issues. The website was funded by the America ...

'', ''New Mexico Independent'', and ''Washington Independent''. It changed its name to the American Independent News Network in 2010. In 2011, the organization's founder, David S. Bennahum, departed the organization after shutting down most of the organization's state websites. The group peaked in traffic and revenues in 2009 and 2010 before both numbers dropped off considerably. By 2013, the American Independent News Network had shuttered all of it sites and gone on hiatus. The

Project for Excellence in Journalism The Project for Excellence in Journalism was a tax-exempt research organization in the United States that used empirical methods to evaluate and study the performance of the press. The organization's director was Tom Rosenstiel, a professor of ...

of the

Pew Research Center The Pew Research Center (also simply known as Pew) is a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world. It ...

surveyed and analyzed nonprofit news organizations active on the state or national level in 2011 and again in 2013. The studies found that the most consistently ideological of the news outlets were those that were organized in networks, specifically the conservative Watchdog.org network and the liberal American Independent News Network. The 2011 study found that "the liberal American Independent News Network oesn't... reveal much about who's paying their bills, and tswork skews clearly in one direction, both in the topics

t covers T, or t, is the twentieth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is de ...

and the content of individual stories".

2014 relaunch

In 2014, the dormant American Independent News Network organization was re-launched by

as the American Independent Institute, a journalistic grant-making entity focused on liberal investigative journalism. ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

'' reported that year that Brock's newly relaunched group would disperse $320,000 in grants to "reporters investigating right-wing misdeeds."

References

External links

* {{official website, https://tainews.com/ Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. 501(c)(3) organizations American news websites 2006 establishments in Washington, D.C. American journalism organizations