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Inside Media Matters: David Brock’s enemies list

MMFA Oppo Targets
Vince Coglianese Editorial Director
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An internal Media Matters For America memo obtained by The Daily Caller reveals that the left-wing media watchdog group employs an “opposition research team” to target its political enemies. Included in the list of targets are right-leaning websites, conservative think tanks, prominent financiers and donors, and more than a dozen specific Fox News Channel and News Corporation employees.

“We will conduct extensive public records searches and compile opposition books on individuals,” declares the memo, likely written in late 2009. Investigations, it says, “will focus on the backgrounds, connections, operations and political and financial activities of the individuals.” (RELATED: Media Matters sources, memos reveal erratic behavior, close coordination with White House and news organizations)

One of those singled out for scrutiny in the memo is PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, a self-described libertarian. Thiel “directly funded, through a small government group, prior racist attack videos by James O’Keefe, the right-wing operative who staged the recent ACORN video sting,” states the memo. “Thiel’s role in funding such attacks has gone completely unremarked and largely uninvestigated.”

“An opposition research team will serve to hold Thiel and others like him accountable.”

In addition to Thiel, the memo contains this list of “preliminary targets”:

  • News Corp
    •  Fox News Channel
    •  Fox Business Network
    •  Fox News’ websites
  • Conservative news sites
    •  WorldNetDaily
    •  BigHollywood.com
    •  NewsMax
    •  BigGovernment.com
  • Conservative think thanks
    •  The Heritage Foundation
    •  American Enterprise Institute
    •  Cato Institute
  • News Corp executives
    •  Rupert Murdoch
    •  Chase Carey
    •  David DeVoe
    •  Lawrence Jacobs
    •  James Murdoch
  • Conservative donors
    •  Peter Thiel
    •  Richard Mellon Scaife
    •  Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
    •  John M. Olin Foundation
    •  Koch Family Foundations
  • Fox News executives
    •  CEO Roger Ailes
    •  Senior vice president Michael Clemente
    •  Vice president of news Sean Smith
    •  Vice president of new editorial product Jay Wallace
    •  Fox Business Network executive vice president Kevin Magee
  • Fox personalities
    •  Glenn Beck
    •  Sean Hannity
    •  Bill O’Reilly
  • Fox senior production and corporation staff
    •  Hannity executive producer John Finley
    •  On the Record executive producer Meade Cooper
    •  O’Reilly Factor senior executive producer David Tabacoff
    •  Fox & Friends executive producer Lauren Petterson
  • Political figures
    •  Carly Fiorina
    •  David Vitter
    •  Eric Cantor
    •  John Boehner
    •  Mitch McConnell
    •  Michele Bachmann
    •  Steve King

“In all likelihood,” the memo concludes, “we will produce volumes of useful data week after week.”

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