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Who Funds the Progressive Media? 
(Global Research)
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Critiques of liberal philanthropy are nothing new: indeedsuch criticisms have regularly surfaced ever since liberal foundations werecreated in the early twentieth century. In the past few years, however, thenumber of critical scholars and activists writing about practices of liberalfoundations has grown rapidly, and there is now a blossoming literature showingthe funding strategies of these highly influential philanthropists areantidemocratic and manipulative. The antidemocratic nature of liberalfoundations is epitomized by the long history of collaboration (that formerlyexisted) between the largest major liberal foundations (like the Ford Foundation)and the US Central Intelligence Agency. Moreover, recent research hasdemonstrated the key leadership role that liberal foundations played indeveloping the means by which powerful elites could manufacture public (andelite) consent.By focusing on a variety of progressive media-related groups in North America(including most notably the Benton Foundation and the newly launched The RealNews Network), this article will discuss the limits of current funding strategies,and reflect upon alternative, arguably more sustainable (and democratic)
 
methods by which civil society media groups may be created and sustained. Itwill be argued that the integral hegemonic function of liberal philanthropy hasalready deradicalised all manner of progressive social movements, and that civilsociety media groups need to cut their institutional ties with such financingsources. Admittedly solutions cannot be implemented immediately, butconsidering the increasing ascendancy of neoliberal media regimes worldwide itis vital that progressive concerned citizens call attention to this significant issue.Liberal philanthropy plays a critical role in promoting and sustaining progressivemedia outlets within civil society, which are also referred to as ‘alternative’ or‘autonomous’ media. Historically, the ‘big three’ US-based liberal foundations – theCarnegie Corporation, theFord Foundationand theRockefeller Foundation–  have nurtured progressive causes on both the national and international scale,dealing with issues ranging from health care and civil rights to environmentalism.[1] In recent years increasing attention has been paid to the influence ofconservative philanthropy, [2] however, the same has not been true for liberalphilanthropy: two notable exceptions to this trend are ProfessorJoan Roelofs seminal book, Foundations and Public Policy: The Mask of Pluralism, andINCITE! Women of Color Against Violence’srecent addition, The Revolution WillNot Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex. This omission isproblematic on a number of levels. Despite being ostensibly progressive, themajor liberal foundations have at one time or another vigorously promoted allmanner of not so progressive issues like eugenics, elite planning, and free trade;while they also worked hand-in-hand with the US Government’s CentralIntelligence Agency (CIA) throughout the 1950s and 1960s. In this context, thebig three liberal foundations have also funded the research of many of the‘founding fathers’ of mass communications research, arguably helping them todevelop the capabilities for ‘manufacturing consent’ for elite interests. [3]Although the importance of money to progressive social movements and theirassociated media outlets is obvious to most people, surprisingly few academicshave addressed this subject. It is widely acknowledged that conservative fundinghas, over the past few decades, driven the ideological orientation of mainstreammedia outlets rightwards. Research also suggests that liberal funders have had adetrimental and antidemocratic influence on processes of social change ingeneral. [4] Such research also questions the role that ‘charitable’ donationsarguably play in sustaining capitalist hegemony. However, what is the effectspecifically on the development of progressive media? To date only BobFeldman (2007) has provided a critical examination of the nexus between liberalphilanthropy and alternative media operations. [5] The lack of critical enquiry intothe influence of liberal philanthropy on the media of progressive socialmovements is problematic, as media are integral to the function of socialmovements. This article will try to address this blind spot.Compared to today, in the late 1960s and 1970s critical awareness among mediaactivists was relatively high, thanks in part to a series of articles in the influentialRamparts magazine which asked: [6]
 
“Can anyone honestly believe that the foundations, which are based on thegreat American fortunes and administered by the present-day captains ofAmerican industry and finance, will systematically underwrite researchwhich tends to undermine the pillars of the status quo, in particular theillusion that the corporate rich who benefit most from the system do not runit – at whatever cost to society – precisely to ensure their continuedblessings?”More recently, building upon this commonsensical interpretation of the role ofliberal philanthropy within capitalist societies, Andrea Smith points out that: “Fromtheir inception, [liberal] foundations focused on research and dissemination ofinformation designed ostensibly to ameliorate social issues-in a manner, how-ever, that did not challenge capitalism”. [7] Using this interpretation of the role ofliberal philanthropy as a starting point and drawing uponAntonio Gramsci’s theory of hegemony this article will expand upon Feldman’s ground-breakingstudy. It will document how liberal foundations have (and continue to) activelyshape the evolution of progressive media groups in North America.Initially, this article will introduce the work of the Benton Foundation, a liberalfoundation that has played a pioneering and catalysing role in supportingprogressive media ventures. It will then provide a detailed analysis of a globallysignificant media project, The Real News Network, which has been supported byliberal philanthropy. Drawing upon power structure research it will criticallyexamine some of the key people and funders. [8] Finally, the article will discussthe limits of current funding strategies, and suggest an alternative, arguably moresustainable (and democratic) method by which civil society media groups may becreated and sustained in the future.Putting Progressive Communications on the Philanthropic AgendaUpon the initiative of the late William Benton (1900-1973), the William BentonFoundation was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) private foundation in 1948, althoughin 1981 it was renamed theBenton Foundation. This foundation is nowrecognised as one of the leading sponsors of non-profit progressive mediaprojects in the United States, alongside theJohn S. and James L. KnightFoundation, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Its founder,WilliamBentonis today credited as having “pushed the envelope… within the foundationworld, urging them to take communications seriously and to use it to builddemocracy”. [9] However, like most of the big liberal foundations in the US, theBenton Foundation has elitist roots: William Benton had strong links to theRockefellers’ and other assorted corporate and political elites. Given this history,we must ask: “What type of democracy was William Benton trying to build?” Thisquestion will be addressed in the following.The Benton Foundation is currently chaired by William Benton’s son,CharlesBenton, who like his father maintains close ties to a number of less thanprogressive individuals, not least through his position on the Board of Trustees ofThe American Assembly. [10] Furthermore, he is a member of the international
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