Statistical Assessment Service
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This article is part of the Center for Media & Democracy's spotlight on front groups and corporate spin. |
The Statistical Assessment Service (STATS) is a stealth PR operation of the Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA). Since it shares the offices (in the pricey "K Street" lobbying district of Washington) and staff of CMPA, it should be considered as a front, rather than a subsidiary or spin-off. In 2004, STATS became officially affiliated with George Mason University.[1]
STATS promotes itself as a disinterested, non-partisan guardian of scientific and statistical integrity to often unsuspecting media outlets. It has been surprisingly successful in this guise, with many persons and organisations citing STATS (especially, its stats.org web site), for example, the University of Iowa's Journalism school and [2] and the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point[3] as an authoritative or useful resource.
From its inception, however, STATS has repeatedly attacked environmentalists, civil libertarians, feminists and other "liberals." The first director of STATS, David Murry, was not a statistician at all. His academic training was in anthropology, but he was often described in the media as a "statistician" when he commented on various topics.
Contents
Funding
Early in its history, STATS concealed its affiliation with CMPA, but now discreetly mentions it. Its startup funding came from conservative funders including the John M. Olin Foundation, the Sarah Scaife Foundation and the William H. Donner Foundation. Other funders include Richard Mellon Scaife's Carthage Foundation, the Sarah Scaife Foundation, the Earhart Foundation, John M. Olin Foundation and the Castle Rock Foundation.[4] The STATS website did not list funding sources as of 2008.
Areas of Interest
The STATS website lists the following as areas in which they have preformed "in-depth analysis"[1]:
- General
- Health
- "What Science Really Says About the Benefits of Breast-Feeding (and what the New York Times didn’t tell you)", June 20, 2006
- "Toy Tantrums - The Debate Over the Safety of Phthalates", January 30, 2006
- "Teflon Is Not Forever: Why the Editors of Mother Jones Need To Be Hit Over the Head with a Frying Pan", May 2, 2007
- "Will a Few Extra Pounds Lead to a Longer Life?", May 24, 2005
- Public Policy
- "Dueling Numbers on Asbestos Claims", November 10, 2005
- Drugs
- "The New York Times' Other WMD Problem", August 6, 2004
Staff
The first director of STATS was David Murray.
Their staff is listed as follows as of January 2008[2]:
- S. Robert Lichter, President
- Donald Rieck, Executive Director
- Rebecca Goldin, Director of Research
- Maia Szalavitz, Senior Fellow, has written for the liberal publication The American Prospect.
- Trevor Butterworth, Editor
The staff list in October 2003 also listed Linda Lichter as Vice President.
Advisory Board
Their Advisory Board is listed as follows as of January 2008[3]:
- Sallie L. Baliunas, Senior Scientist, George Marshall Institute and Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
- Thomas C. Childers, Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania
- Wolfgang Donsbach, President, World Association of Opinion Research
- Nicholas Eberstadt, Fellow, Center for Population Studies, Harvard University
- Neil Gilbert, Professor of Social Welfare, University of California Berkeley
- Scott O. Lilienfeld, Professor of Psychology, Emory University
- Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, President, Allensbach Institut fur Demoskopie
- Nelson Polsby, Director, Institute of Government Studies, University of California Berkeley
- Harrison Pope, Director, Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, Harvard Medical School
- Stephen Strauss, Toronto Globe and Mail
- Humphrey Taylor, CEO & President, Louis Harris and Associates
- James Q. Wilson, Professor of Political Science, UCLA
Contact
Center for Media and Public Affairs
and Statistical Assessment Service
2100 L St NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20037
STATS line (202) 223 3193
CMPA line (202) 223 2942
fax (202) 872 4014
http://www.stats.org
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ Statistical Assessment Service, "Affiliations", accessed March 2008.
- ↑ "Statistical and Demographic Resources for Journalists", University of Iowa, accessed March 2008.
- ↑ "Virtual Reference Desk: Communication", University of Wisconsin - Stevens point, accessed March 2008.
- ↑ Grants to Statistical Assessment Service, from MediaTransparency. Accessed February 6, 2008.
