O'Reilly falsely accused Media Matters of lying about Soros funding

Written by Simon Maloy

Published


On the April 26 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly attacked Media Matters for America, saying that “the vile Media Matters outfit is denying receiving funding from any of [progressive financier] George Soros' outfits,” and claiming, “Well, that is a total lie.” As evidence, O'Reilly noted that the Tides Foundation donated over $1 million to Media Matters in 2005, "[a]nd just by coincidence Soros' Open Society Institute [OSI] donated more than a million dollars to Tides in 2005." He added: “Figure it out.” But O'Reilly's conclusion that Soros donated $1 million to Media Matters through the Tides Foundation is false. OSI's donations to Tides were earmarked for several specific programs, and Media Matters was not included on this list.

As Media Matters documented, on April 24, O'Reilly unveiled a chart that purported to expose a “complicated political operation” in which “Soros and a few other wealthy radicals who help him are funneling money into the political process” by funding Media Matters, which “feeds its propaganda to some mainstream media people.” As previously indicated, Soros has never given money to Media Matters, either directly or through another organization.

According to the Tides website, the “Tides Foundation has had 30 years of visionary philanthropy for progressive social change. Since 2000, it has granted more than $400 million to progressive nonprofit organizations. Our growth is a testament to the joint commitment among our partners and staff to supporting positive social change domestically and globally.” According to the foundation's IRS Form 990, Tides received $81,044,306 in public contributions, gifts, and grants in 2005. Media Matters for America was awarded $1,074,454, and the Media Matters Action Network was awarded $5,000 from Tides in 2005. Tides awarded a total of $85,941,477 to several hundred organizations. According to OSI's Form 990, the organization awarded a total of $550,000 to Tides in 2005 and instructed that this sum be directed to two specific programs or entities: Tides' Death Penalty Mobilization Fund, which was awarded $150,000, and the Right to Vote Campaign, which received $400,000. A total of $988,655 from OSI was actually paid through Tides in 2005 to three programs or entities -- the Death Penalty Mobilization Fund, the Right to Vote Campaign, and Connect US Fund and Network.

From the April 26 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: The techniques [PBS journalist Bill] Moyers uses are standard-issue secular-progressive far left. And when they're exposed, as Moyers has been, they launch personal attacks. We expect them.

After our report on Monday, the vile Media Matters outfit is denying receiving funding from any of George Soros' outfits. Well, that is a total lie. As we laid out for you, the smear website received more than a million dollars from the Tides Foundation alone in 2005, and just by coincidence, Soros' Open Society Institute donated more than a million dollars to Tides in 2005. Figure it out.

Now, I could sit here for the entire hour and detail the corruption in the far-left media. It was no accident that elements at NBC News rose quickly to defend Media Matters. NBC News uses their propaganda as fact almost daily. Disgraceful. And that's the “Memo.”