The Center for Media and Democracy is a non-profit, non-partisan, public interest organization that strengthens participatory democracy by investigating and exposing public relations spin and propaganda, and by promoting media literacy and citizen journalism.

To view the Center for Media and Democracy's most recent Annual Report, click here [1]. (PDF download)

To see what other people say about CMD, including Bill Moyers, Eric Schlosser, Amy Goodman and others, click here [2].

The Center for Media and Democracy is run by a Board of Directors whose current members are Ellen Braune, Anna Lappe, Joseph Mendelson, David Merritt, Jan Miyasaki, Inger Stole, and executive director John Stauber (in a non-voting capacity). The Center serves journalists, researchers, policymakers and citizens at large in the following ways:

• 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.

Toward these ends, the Center sponsors the following projects:

• PR Watch [3] quarterly, which investigates and exposes how the public relations industry and other professional propagandists manipulate public information, perceptions and opinion on behalf of governments and special interests.
• Spin of the Day [4], which offers web-based daily reporting on public relations, propaganda and media spin.
• SourceWatch [5], an Internet-based "open content" encyclopedia of people, groups and issues shaping the public agenda.
• Congresspedia [6], the "citizen's encyclopedia" of the members of the US House and Senate.
• Resource Center, through our staffed office which answers inquiries from journalists and other members of the public seeking to understand the forces and influences behind current issues.
• Skills training to share best practices and success stories with citizen journalists and activist groups, through workshops and CMD's publications.
• Publications including articles and the following books by CMD staff:
  • The Best War Ever: Lies, Damned Lies and the Mess in Iraq [7]
  • Toxic Sludge Is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry [8]
  • Mad Cow USA [9], 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 [10]
  • Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq [11]
  • Banana Republicans: How the Right Wing is Turning America Into a One-Party State [12]
• Public education campaigns, including public speaking and organizing activities such as CMD's successful Defend The Press [13] campaign with the National Press Club and other partners.