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The Franklin Center’s president, [[Jason Stverak]], is the former Regional Field Director for SAM, served as North Dakota Executive Director for the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee and former Executive Director of the North Dakota Republican Party.<ref>Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, [http://www.franklincenterhq.org/about/staff/ Staff], organizational website, accessed August 19, 2011.</ref>
update using Gibbons' 2010 Kennedy School report, etc.
{{#badges:SPN|AEX}}'''The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity''', publisher of the site "Watchdog.org," is a national 501(c)(3) journalism organization based in Bismarck, North Dakota and started in 2009.<ref>Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, [http://www.franklincenterhq.org/about/ About], organizational website, accessed August 19, 2011.</ref> According to a previous iteration of the organization's website, the group's mission involves "networking and training independent investigative reporters, as well as journalists from state based news organizations, public-policy institutions & watchdog groups."<ref>Franklin Center For Government & Public Integrity, [http://www.franklincenterhq.org/about/mission/ Mission], organizational website, accessed August 19, 2011.</ref> The Franklin Center funded state reporters in more than 40 states as of August 2011,<ref>The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, [http://www.franklincenterhq.org/2376/think-tank-journalism-the-future-of-investigative-reporting/ Think tank Journalism: The Future of Investigative Journalism], organizational website, accessed August 19, 2011, since modified by the organization.</ref> and in 34 states as of May 2013.<ref name="2013_list">Franklin Center, [http://www.sourcewatch.org/images/e/e5/Franklin_Center_May_2013.pdf Watchdog.org], organizational document, May 2013, obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy June 2013.</ref> Despite their non-partisan description, many of these websites have received criticism for their conservative bias.<ref>Rebekah Metzler, [http://www.pressherald.com/news/watchdog-website-puts-a-new-spin-on-politics_2010-10-02.html 'Watchdog' website puts a new spin on politics'], ''The Portland Press Herald'', accessed August 19, 2011.</ref><ref>Allison Kilkenny, [http://www.truth-out.org/koch-spider-web/1312231636 The Koch Spider Web], ''Truthout'', August 4, 2011.</ref>
At a time when there are fewer and fewer statehouse reporters -- as of the ''American Journalism Review'''s most recent count in 2009, there were 355 in the entire country, down from 524 in 2003,<ref>[http://ajr.org/article.asp?id=4722 AJR's 2009 Count of Statehouse Reporters], ''American Journalism Review'', April/May 2009, accessed November 2013.</ref> bluntly called a "statehouse exodus" by the same journal<ref>Jennifer Dorroh, [http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=4721 Statehouse Exodus], ''American Journalism Review'', April/May 2009, accessed November 2013.</ref> -- former ''Reuters'' chief White House correspondent Gene Gibbons described the rush of groups like the Franklin Center to fill the gap as follows: "an army of Internet start-ups, some practicing traditional journalism in a new medium, others delivering political propaganda dressed up as journalism -- are crawling all over the picnic. . . . At the forefront is the one‐year-old Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity . . ."<ref name="GibbonsKennedy">Gene Gibbons, [http://shorensteincenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/d59_gibbons.pdf Ants at the Picnic: A Status Report on News Coverage of State Government], Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy Discussion Paper Series, #D‐59, June 2010.</ref>
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==Franklin Center "at the Forefront of an Effort to Blur the Distinction Between Statehouse Reporting and Political Advocacy"==
"For the most part, the people in charge of these would-be watchdog operations are political hacks out to subvert journalism in their quest to grab and keep power using whatever means they have to do so. . . . At the forefront of an effort to blur the distinction between statehouse reporting and political advocacy is the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity," former ''Reuters'' chief White House correspondent Gene Gibbons wrote in the ''Nieman Reports'' publication of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. He interviewed Franklin Center Executive Director Jason Stverak in March 2010, and Stverak said Franklin sites should be held to the same standard as any news publication -- judged "based upon the content that they produce." But, Gibbons writes, "four months later the Franklin Center cosponsored and played an active role in a two-day conference organized by the [[Americans for Prosperity Foundation]]. The Right Online Agenda conference included such breakout sessions as 'Intro to Online Activism' and 'Killing the Death Tax” and featured speakers such as conservative U.S. Representative [[Michele Bachmann]] of Minnesota and Tea Party activist [[Sharron Angle]], a Republican who was then running against [[Harry Reid]] in the election for U.S. Senate in Nevada. No Democratic legislators were included in the program. The finale of the Las Vegas conference was a November is Coming Rally."<ref name="GibbonsNieman">Gene Gibbons, [http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/article/102509/Statehouse-Beat-Woes-Portend-Bad-News-for-Good-Government.aspx Statehouse Beat Woes Portend Bad News for Good Government], ''Nieman Report'', Winter 2010.</ref> Conservative columnist [[H. Daniel Glover]] specifically credited the Franklin Center with helping the conservative cause, according to a June 2010 in-depth report by Gibbons written for the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government's Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy. "Once conservatives realize they can conduct great investigations that expose the flaws of intrusive government and the special interests that corrupt it, you will see more of them embracing that kind of journalism,” Glover said. “Mainstream publications like the ''Washington Examiner'' and organizations like the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, which helps support and fund budding watchdogs, are showing them the way.”<ref>Tony Rogers, [http://journalism.about.com/od/trends/a/gloverinterview.htm Conservatives See Need for More Investigative Reporting], ''About.com'', undated, accessed November 2013.</ref><ref name="GibbonsKennedy"/> Gibbons' 2010 report continues:<ref name="GibbonsKennedy"/> :"Reporters for news sites in Ohio, Illinois and Idaho funded by the Franklin Center or its affiliates have been denied press credentials by accrediting bodies because of the lack of transparency about donors and links to advocacy groups. Veteran journalist John Dougherty, who was briefly on contract to a Nevada group with links to the Franklin Center, said he quit because it became clear to him the journalism was not non‐partisan. :"'They were clearly looking for gotcha stories to embarrass Democrats in any way they could. That's not what I do,' he said. 'I'm an equal opportunity basher -- I've written stories that have damaged Democrats as well as Republicans and Independents. I'm apolitical. If it's a story, it's a story; if it's not, it's not,' Dougherty said. (Several weeks after I interviewed him, Dougherty announced he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination to run for the U.S. Senate from Arizona)."
==Accusations of Inaccuracy & 'Manufactured News'==
In February, the Wisconsin Reporter sponsored a questionable poll asserting that 71% of Wisconsin residents thought the state's Governor Scott Walker's budget proposal to cut the collective bargaining rights of most of the state's public sector workers was "fair." Several local and national news outlets cited the poll without investigation, including MSNBC. The result seemed completely out of whack with other polling leading some to question the source. The same month, We Ask America, largely owned by the Illinois Manufacturing Association, a leading business organization in the region, polled 2,400 Wisconsin residents and found that 52 percent opposed Walker's bill. The Franklin Center's poll was conducted by Pulse Opinion Research. <ref>Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, [http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=6d195a77b46a877ab2b3a62b1&id=aae9b36e46&e= Poll Shows 71% of Wisconsinites Think Walker’s Budget Changes are “Fair]," organizational press release, February 24, 2011.</ref>
In 2009, the ''[[New Mexico Watchdog]]'' reported that based on data from Recovery.gov millions of dollars were spent in non-existent congressional districts in the state. The story picked up steam among reporters, even turned into a Colbert Report segment called "Know your Made-up District." The Franklin Center released a national report that said $6.4 billion in stimulus money had been spent in hundreds of “phantom” congressional districts. There was truth to the New Mexico Watchdog report, but it turned out, as reported by the Associated Press, that the culprit was an error-ridden government database. The funds were actually distributed to the right recipients but errors such as zip codes entered incorrectly accounted for the "phantom districts" rather than, as the report suggested, had been unaccounted for or misused.<ref name="GibbonsKennedy"/>
Even with this new information on the shortfalls of the Recovery.gov site, the Franklin Center failed to set the record straight. In its 2010 Annual report, the center boasted it found that the "stimulus sent funds in the form of grants, loans and government contracts to support more than 200 projects in imaginary ZIP codes covering 38 states." It did not mention the errors in the database, but let the record stand as a story of government waste. <ref>Bill McMorris, [http://watchdog.org/1530/6-4-billion-stimulus-goes-to-phantom-districts/ $6.4 Billion Stimulus Goes to Phantom Districts], ''New Mexico Watchdog'', November 17, 2009.</ref><ref>Matt Apuzzo, [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705345576/Stimulus-accuracy-comes-under-fire.html Stimulus accuracy comes under fire], ''Associated Press'', November 19, 2009.</ref>
==Criticism from Media Watchdog Organizations==
The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism on a sliding scale of highly ideological, somewhat ideological and non-ideological, ranked the “Watchdog.org” franchise "highly ideological."<ref>Pew Center Project for Excellence in Journalism, [http://features.journalism.org/non-profit-news/#undefined Watchdog.org], ''Assessing a New Landscape in Journalism'', organizational report, July 18, 2011.</ref>
==Staff Ties to Conservative Other Right-Wing & GOP Organizations==
The center Franklin Center was launched by the Chicago-based [[Sam Adams Alliance]] (SAM) in 2009,<ref>Sam Adams Alliance, [http://www.samadamsalliance.org/media/5148/sam_adams_alliance_media_kit.pdf Sam Adams Alliance Media Kit], organizational PDF, accessed August 19, 2011.</ref><ref>Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism, [http://features.journalism.org/non-profit-news/watchdogs/ Watchdog,org], organizational media report, accessed June 2013.</ref> a 501(c)(3) devoted to pushing free-market ideals. The In a 2010 interview, Franklin Center Executive Director Jason Stverak told Gene Gibbons that "the Sam Adams Alliance gave his organization a start‐up grant83 but otherwise was not willing to specify where the Franklin Center gets its funds."<ref name="GibbonsKennedy"/> However, according to an investigation by the ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', the Franklin Center also receives funding from the Wisconsin-based [[Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation]],<ref>Daniel Bice, [http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/127259723.html Franklin Center boss wants apology from Democratic staffer], ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', accessed August 19, 2011.</ref> a conservative grant-making organization.<ref>Bradley Foundation, [http://www.bradleyfdn.org/ The Bradley Foundation], organizational website, accessed August 19, 2011.</ref>
The Franklin Center’s president, [[Jason Stverak]], is the former Regional Field Director for SAM, served as North Dakota Executive Director for the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee and former Executive Director of the North Dakota Republican Party.<ref>Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, [http://www.franklincenterhq.org/about/staff/ Staff], organizational website, accessed August 19, 2011.</ref>
The Franklin Center also has strong ties to a right-wing web of so-called "think tanks" pushing the [[American Legislative Exchange Council]] (ALEC)'s corporate-backed agenda in every statehouse in the country, the [[State Policy Network]] (SPN). According to an in-depth 2010 report by Gene Gibbons, "The State Policy Network–Sam Adams Alliance–Franklin Center troika is at least loosely associated with more than a dozen other conservative groups funding news websites in various states. These include the [[John Locke Foundation]], which funds the monthly North Carolina newspaper [[Carolina Journal]] and a companion website, www.carolinajournal.com; the [[Public Policy Foundation of West Virginia]], which funds the news website [[West Virginia Watchdog]]; the [[Commonwealth Foundation]], which supports the [[Pennsylvania Independent]] (www.paindependent.com); and the [[Mackinac Center for Public Policy]], which funds [[Michigan Capitol Confidential]] (www.michigancapitolconfidential.com)."<ref name="GibbonsKennedy"/> '''See [[SPN Agenda#6) Media Messaging and Support|SPN Ties to the Franklin Center]] for more.''' In addition, the Center's Director of Donor Relations [[Matt Hauck]] is a former Associate at the [[Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation]]. <ref>Matt Hauck, [http://www.linkedin.com/pub/matt-hauck/1/545/b11 Matt Hauck], ''LinkedIn'' profile, accessed October 5, 2011.</ref>
The Center's Chief of Staff Gwen Beattie is the former Director of Development and Operations at [[America's Future Foundation]], an organization committed to "identify and develop the next generation of conservative and libertarian leaders."<ref>Gwen Beattie, [http://www.linkedin.com/pub/gwen-beattie/6/659/608 Gwen Beattie], '' LinkedIn'' profile, accessed October 5, 2011.</ref>
{{about_ALEC}}
==Funding"Fellows" at "Statehouses Across the Nation"== In 2009, the Franklin Center announced its "Benjamin Franklin Fellows" program beginning January 1, 2010 and lasting 21 weeks, for "enterprising journalists seeking the hands-on experience of a statehouse beat," advertising that "Franklin Fellows will work in a variety of statehouses across the nation with seasoned correspondents to produce daily news as well investigative pieces" and that "[f]ellows also will have unique networking opportunities with a nationwide collection of state capital bureaus."<ref>Bill McMorris, Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, [http://franklincenterhq.org/604/benjamin-franklin-fellows/ Benjamin Franklin Fellows], organizational publication, October 2, 2009.</ref> ==Funding== ===Franklin's "Commercial Fundraiser," ClearWord Communications=== Gibbons wrote in June 2010, "The Franklin Center is headquartered in Bismarck, ND, but its mailing address is a law office in Stafford, Texas, and its fundraising agent is a Bristow, VA firm that also raises funds for the Republican Party and the [[Heritage Foundation]]."<ref name="GibbonsKennedy"/> That agent is [[ClearWord Communications Group, Inc.]],<ref>Washington State Office of the Secretary of State, [http://www.sos.wa.gov/charities/search_detail.aspx?charity_id=28070 Charitable Solicitations Program Charity Profile Report: Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity], state governmental agency website, accessed November 19, 2013.</ref> a "donor strategies firm" or "commercial fundraiser" that also raises funds for:<ref>Washington State Office of the Secretary of State, [http: //www.sos.wa.gov/charities/search_detail_cfr.aspx?cfr_id=23483 Commercial Fundraiser Profile Report: ClearWord Communications Group, Inc.], state governmental agency website, accessed November 19, 2013.</ref> * [[American Council on Science and Health]], Inc.* [[American Legislative Exchange Council]] (ALEC)* [[American Majority]], Inc.* [[Bill of Rights Institute]]* [[Claremont Institute]] For The Study Of Statesmanship & Political Philosophy* [[Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow]]* [[Competitive Enterprise Institute]]* EndPoverty.org* [[FreedomWorks]], Inc.* [[Illinois Policy Institute]] (a [[SPN Members|State Policy Network (SPN) member]])* [[Institute for Energy Research]]* James Partnership* Lincoln Institute for Research and Education* [[Mackinac Center]] (another [[SPN Members|SPN member]])* [[Morton Blackwell]]'s [[Leadership Institute]]* [[Pacific Legal Foundation]]* [[Sam Adams Alliance]], Inc.* [[State Policy Network]] (SPN) ===Funders and Recipients===
Known funders of the Franklin Foundation include:
**2011: $50,000
*[[Dunns Dunn's Foundation for the Advancement of Right Thinking]]:
**2011: $50,000
**2011: $6.3 million<ref>Joe Strupp,[http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/02/22/franklin-center-top-donor-is-right-wings-dark-m/192770 Franklin Center Top Donor Is Right-Wing's "Dark Money" ATM], ''Media Matters'', Feb. 22, 2013.</ref>
====Majority of Funding Comes from "the Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement," Donors Trust====
Franklin Center Director of Communications Michael Moroney told the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) that the source of the Franklin Center's funding "is 100 percent anonymous." But 95 percent of its 2011 funding came from [[DonorsTrust]], a spin-off of the [[Philanthropy Roundtable]] that functions as a large "donor-advised fund," cloaking the identity of donors to right-wing causes across the country (CPI did a review of Franklin's Internal Revenue Service records).<ref name="Abowd">Paul Abowd, Center for Public Integrity, [http://www.publicintegrity.org/2013/02/14/12181/donors-use-charity-push-free-market-policies-states Donors use charity to push free-market policies in states], organizational report, February 14, 2013.</ref> ''Mother Jones'' called DonorsTrust "the dark-money ATM of the conservative movement" in a February 2013 article.<ref>Andy Kroll, [http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/02/donors-trust-donor-capital-fund-dark-money-koch-bradley-devos Exposed: The Dark-Money ATM of the Conservative Movement], ''Mother Jones'', February 5, 2013.</ref> Franklin received DonorsTrust's second-largest donation in 2011.<ref name="Abowd"/>
===Recipients of Franklin Center Funding===
According to an in-depth report on the Franklin Center and related "news" websites by Gene Gibbons, "Len Lazarick, editor of the [[Maryland Reporter]] (www.marylandreporter.com) told a public radio interviewer he received $100,000 in start‐up funding from the Franklin Center. 'That interview got me in a little hot water with them,' he told me. 'They would just prefer that everything be as anonymous as possible. They really don't want us to talk about our business models very much.'"<ref name="GibbonsKennedy"/> The Franklin Center is required by law to disclose the groups to which it gives money, however. In 2011, the Franklin Center funded the following groups:<ref name="2011_990"/>
* [[Cause of Action]] and Freedom Through Justice Foundation (Cause of Action's former name): '''$994,000'''
Email: Meghan Tisinger at Meghan.Tisinger@FranklinCenterHQ.org
Gibbons wrote in June 2010, "The Franklin Center is headquartered in Bismarck, ND, but its mailing address is a law office in Stafford, Texas, and its fundraising agent is a Bristow, VA firm that also raises funds for the Republican Party and the [[Heritage Foundation]]."<ref name="GibbonsKennedy"/>
==Articles and Resources==
