Frequently Asked Questions
What is Accuracy In Media(AIM)?
Accuracy In Media is a non-profit, grassroots citizens watchdog of the news media that critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that have received slanted coverage.
What is the goal of AIM?
We encourage members of the media to report the news fairly and objectively--without resorting to bias or partisanship.
Why is it necessary for the media to have a watchdog?
Quite frankly, the news media don't always get their stories right. What's worse, many of them don't even seem to care. By advising them of their responsibility to the public, whom they claim to serve, AIM helps to nudge the members of the news media into greater accountability for their actions.
How do you know the media are biased?
All the major media surveys for the past 20 years have shown that 80 to 90 percent of the mainstream media consistently vote for Democrats.
But how do you know the media's political opinions influence their reporting?
Many of them are actually admitting it these days. They admit they're anti-business, pro-big government, anti-family and anti-religion. A couple of years ago, CBS commentator Bernard Goldberg caused quite a stir by saying in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece that he couldn't believe people were actually still arguing about whether or not the media were liberal, because it was so obviously true.
If bias in reporting is so pervasive, how can members of the press keep getting away with it?
One reason is that despite its First Amendment protection, the press has no enforceable code of ethics for professional conduct. A lawyer who lies can be jailed for contempt of court. A surgeon who messes up an operation can lose his license. A corporation that falsifies reports can face serious troubles with the SEC. However, a journalist doesn't have to surrender his press card for faulty reporting.
How does Accuracy In Media call attention to this problem?
AIM publishes a twice-monthly newsletter, broadcasts a daily radio commentary, promotes a speaker's bureau and syndicates a weekly newspaper column--all geared to setting the record straight on important stories that the media have botched, bungled or ignored. We also attend the annual shareholders' meetings of large media organizations and encourage our members to bombard newsrooms with postcards and letters about biased and inaccurate news coverage.
If Accuracy In Media is doing so much to counteract the media's misdeeds, then why isn't the problem solved?
There are many reasons for this. One of them is that since most journalism school graduates have not been properly educated about the importance of telling the truth, there is a constant influx of new journalists who start out on the wrong foot. Also, the journalism profession has become a powerful manipulator of public opinion. This power has inspired an arrogance which leads many in the media to believe they should be insulated from criticism. Chances are if you call up your local paper and complain to a reporter or editor about an inaccurate story, the person responsible for it won't even talk to you. AIM believes that the public has a right to get the facts, and that journalists should be exposed when they do not adhere to their professed ethical standards.
How can I help Accuracy In Media in this difficult task?
You can become a member of AIM and add your voice to those of the thousands of other concerned citizens who support its vital work. You'll be able to get our twice-monthly newsletter, log onto our latest critiques on AIM's web page and receive information about AIM conferences, discount books and tapes and numerous other benefits.
How much does it cost?
If you join with a contribution of $35 or more and mention that you found out about AIM from our web page, you'll receive with your membership a copy of one of our media guides, either How to Write Letters to the Media or the AIM Radio Talk Show Directory, which will provide all sorts of inside tips on dealing with the news media.
Back to Top Officers:
AIM Officers & Directors
Reed Irvine, Chairman
Murray Baron, President
Wilson C. Lucom, Vice-President
Donald Irvine, Executive Secretary
Samuel Shepard Jones, Jr., Treasurer and General Counsel
Directors:
Dr. Paul Busiek, Researcher
James Davis, Financial Consultant
Joan Hueter, Former President, National Association of Pro-America
Larry Klayman, Chairman of Judicial Watch
Malcolm E. Smith, Retired Advertising Executive
John W. Uhlmann, President, The Uhlmann Companies
National Advisory Board:
Arnold Beichman, Writer and Analyst
Midge Decter, Writer
Charlton Heston, Actor
Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, USN (Ret), Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Dr. Charles A. Moser, Professor, Emeritus, George Washington University
R. Adm. William C. Mott, USN (Ret), Vice-President, National Strategy Information Center
Harry G.A. Seggerman, President, International Investment Advisors, Inc.
Walter Seifert, Professor Emeritus, Ohio State University
Dr. Frederick Seitz, President Emeritus, Rockefeller University
Lloyd H. Smith, Independent Oil and Gas Producer
Dr. Edward Teller, Physicist, Co-founder of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
James L. Tyson, President, Council for the Defense of Freedom