Q: What exactly is the DMEF?
A: The Democracy & Media Education Foundation is a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to supporting Journalism, Press, and other Media efforts directly and indirectly related to the reporting and other conveyance of information to the American Public, with a particular focus on American Democracy and electoral processes. The Foundation is completely non-partisan and, due to its own charter, is not engaged in any political activity whatsoever (and has intentionally excluded participating in that political activity allowed by law).
Q: What kind of projects does the DMEF initiate?
A: There are several different projects the DMEF has created to fulfill its mission. In the 2002 Election season, the DMEF teamed up with KBDI-TV Channel 12 -- Colorado Public Television to develop and implement a non-partisan project to begin the process of changing the relationship between television and politics in America . The series was broadcast in Prime Time and gave voters the opportunity to see candidates and ballot issue spokespersons (both proponents and opponents) in unrehearsed settings, arguing their positions and answering tough questions. The response was overwhelming positive and showed television could be used to (a) honestly inform the Public in a detailed manner and (b) blunt the effect of paid television advertising (i.e., commercial, political spots).
In the 2004 Election season, the DMEF will sponsor the Truth In Political Advertising Project ("TIPA"). The TIPA is a nonpartisan effort to restore integrity to the political process through the rating of campaign advertisements released by both major parties. The advertisements are rated for fairness, accuracy, and relevance by a diverse expert panel consisting of Republicans, Democrats, academicians, newspapers, and advertising agencies, among others. To our knowledge, this is the first effort of its kind to bring together such a diverse panel of reviewers.
The TIPA will focus its 2004 Election season efforts on the nationally-watched Colorado United States Senate race between Democrat Ken Salazar and Republican Pete Coors. Over the course of the campaign, the TIPA expects to review television advertisements and release analyses for all the advertisements released by the campaigns of the two major party candidates in the General Election as well as those from third parties from both sides of the aisle. The project expects to receive bipartisan support. For more information about this project, visit www.TIPAP.org or email Aaron@TIPAP.org.
Q: How can I get involved with the DMEF?
A: We are always open to volunteers who want to make a difference in our political system. If you'd like more information about what openings we have available, please email at Aaron@DMEFD.org.