The American Independent Institute is a nonprofit organization which funds liberal investigative journalism efforts. According to the organization, its aim is to support journalism which exposes "the nexus of conservative power in Washington." The current institute, started by

David Brock David Brock (born July 23, 1962) is an American liberal political consultant, author, and commentator who founded the media watchdog group Media Matters for America. He has been described by ''Time'' as "one of the most influential operatives in ...

in 2014, is a relaunch of the former state-based digital news-gathering network known as the American Independent News Network.

History

The American Independent News Network was founded as the Center for Independent Media in 2006 by David S. Bennahum, a former journalist with ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...

''. The group had a stated mission of "investigating and disseminating news that impacts public debate and advances the common good." It operated a news network which consisted of state-based daily news sites ''

The Colorado Independent ''The Colorado Independent'' was a nonprofit, independent media organization, first reporting news via its online website that was started in July 2006, later "born again" in September 2013 under new, Colorado-based management. History ''The ...

'', ''Florida Independent'', ''Iowa Independent'', ''Michigan Messenger'', ''

Minnesota Independent ''The Minnesota Independent'', formerly ''Minnesota Monitor'', and sometimes known as MnIndy, was an independent online news website. It launched in August 2006, with a focus on coverage of political issues. The website was funded by the American ...

'', ''New Mexico Independent'', and ''Washington Independent''. It changed its name to the American Independent News Network in 2010. In 2011, the organization's founder, David S. Bennahum, departed the organization after shutting down most of the organization's state websites. The group peaked in traffic and revenues in 2009 and 2010 before both numbers dropped off considerably. By 2013, the American Independent News Network had shuttered all of it sites and gone on hiatus. The

Project for Excellence in Journalism The Project for Excellence in Journalism was a tax-exempt research organization in the United States that used empirical methods to evaluate and study the performance of the press. The organization's director was Tom Rosenstiel, a professor of j ...

of the

Pew Research Center The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American think tank (referring to itself as a "fact tank") based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the w ...

surveyed and analyzed nonprofit news organizations active on the state or national level in 2011 and again in 2013. The studies found that the most consistently ideological of the news outlets were those that were organized in networks, specifically the conservative

Watchdog.org The Center Square, formerly Watchdog.org, is an American news website that features reporting on state and local government from a conservative perspective. It is a project of the Franklin News Foundation, an online news organization. The Center ...

network and the liberal American Independent News Network. The 2011 study found that "the liberal American Independent News Network oesn't... reveal much about who's paying their bills, and tswork skews clearly in one direction, both in the topics t coversand the content of individual stories".

2014 relaunch

In 2014, the dormant American Independent News Network organization was re-launched by

as the American Independent Institute, a journalistic grant-making entity focused on liberal investigative journalism. ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...

'' reported that year that Brock's newly relaunched group would disperse $320,000 in grants to "reporters investigating right-wing misdeeds."

References

External links

* {{official website, http://americanindependent.com Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. 501(c)(3) organizations American news websites 2006 establishments in Washington, D.C. American journalism organizations