Accuracy in Media
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Accuracy in Media (AIM) is a conservative "media watchdog" organization founded in 1969 by Federal Reserve economist, staunch anti-communist, and unhinged Bircher nutcase Reed Irvine (1922–2004),[1] currently run by his son, Don. It was one of the first watchdog groups set up to fight "liberal media bias," making it something like the older but still ragingly crazy brother of Brent Bozell's Media Research Center. While its content tends to be less fluffy than your average Bozell material, AIM is notorious for pushing quite a lot of its own insanity.
Crankery[edit]
- AIM has been one of the biggest pushers of Vince Foster conspiracy theories.[2] They launched an FOIA suit against the National Park Service in 1999, in an attempt to get hold of some pictures of Foster, and lost.[3] In a 1999 interview with Richard Mellon Scaife (who conveniently happens to be a funder of AIM[4]), Scaife pushed the Foster conspiracy theory along with the "Clinton body count list," a staple on the chain e-mail forward circuit.[5]
- They also push conspiracy theories revolving around a socialist world government, enacted through the United Nations[6] and a North American Union.[7] AIDS in Africa is apparently a "manufactured crisis" perpetuated by the UN.[8] These conspiracies also often involve George Soros, somehow.
- They promote Intelligent Design, even citing that bastion of scientific integrity the Discovery Institute.[9]
- Anti-environmentalist conspiracy theories and denialism are popular topics, including myths about DDT and Rachel Carson,[10] as well as global warming denial.[11][12]
- Anti-gay bigotry, including homosexual recruitment conspiracies.[13]
- Birtherism, of course, and they're still going at it.[14]
- Cliff Kincaid, director of their Center for Investigative Journalism, is also the president of America's Survival, another UN-conspiracy mongering organization.[15]
- Their article on CASA De Maryland[16] is illustrated with what looks like a parody of a 1960s-1970s conspiracy theorist flow chart.[17]
Accuracy in Academia[edit]
In 1985, Reed Irvine founded Accuracy in Academia (AIA) to counter the bias of "liberal academia" and fight oppressive political correctness. Yes, AIA is just as batshit insane as its parent organization. It exists to "inform" students about such dangers as creeping Sharia in the classroom[18] and the PC War on Christmas,[19] and to hector professors they don't like.
External links[edit]
- Accuracy in Media
- Accuracy in Academia
- Conservative "University" – a PragerU clone
- AIM at Right Wing Watch
- AIM entry at SourceWatch
References[edit]
- ↑ Reed Irvine's obituary in the Washington Post
- ↑ Here they are still going at it in 2004.
- ↑ AIM v. National Park Serv.
- ↑ Conspiracy Theories in American History, ed. Peter Knight, p. 645 [1]
- ↑ Scaife interview and Snopes on the Clinton body count.
- ↑ The Plan for a Socialist World Government
- ↑ Accuracy in Media Exposes North American Union "Conspiracy"
- ↑ The Post and the Phony AIDS Crisis
- ↑ Silencing Science
- ↑ Al Gore and Rachel Carson
- ↑ Climategate, the Green Dragon, and the End of Christianity
- ↑ Bush Promotes Hillary's Global Policies
- ↑ Homosexual recruitment in schools
- ↑ Let Them Eat Birth Certificates
- ↑ Kincaid's bio at America's Survival. See also the SPLC report on Kincaid.
- ↑ CASA de Maryland: The Illegals’ ACORN
- ↑ CASA de Maryland: A Case Study in Subversion and Public Corruption at the Highest Levels
- ↑ Shariah Schools
- ↑ Politically Correct Christmases Past & Present