RESTON, VA –
Today, 186 leaders of the Conservative Movement and the Tea Party – including
congressmen, national conservative leaders, and Tea Party leaders from
coast-to-coast – joined Media Research Center President Brent Bozell’s call to action. Last Thursday, Bozell, nationally
syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh,
Citizens United President David Bossie,
Tea Party Patriots Co-Founder Jenny Beth
Martin, and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released
a joint statement [1] demanding that the liberal broadcast networks – ABC, CBS,
and NBC – stop censoring coverage of the ongoing IRS targeting scandal.
That statement
read, in part:
“The liberal media’s refusal to cover the IRS scandal
– more than the NSA scandal, more than DOJ’s surveillance of journalists, more
even than the tragic loss of life in Benghazi – cuts to the very heart of their
corruption. No fair, objective journalist can look at the facts of this
flagrant abuse of power and not conclude that it is a massive political scandal
deserving of constant, merciless scrutiny.”
According to MRC analysts, during the entire month of July, the IRS scandal
– which continues to creep closer and closer to the White House – has only
received a minute and a half of coverage on the network morning and evening
shows. By comparison, during a three-day period last week, the three network
morning news shows gave more coverage (187 minutes) to the birth of Britain’s Prince
George than they gave to the entire IRS scandal (157 minutes) over the 10 and a
half weeks since it broke. That’s a per day average of 62 and a half minutes
for the royal baby and only two minutes and six seconds of coverage for the
royal mess inside the IRS; a 34 to 1 ratio.
During that time, multiple new IRS scandals emerged to feed the news cycle,
such as: $70 million in bonuses to IRS agents; hundreds of millions of dollars
of contracts granted to a business owner with a friend inside the agency: agents
abusing IRS credit cards to pay for such things as diet pills, romance novels
and even online pornography; and the shocking revelation that the office of the
chief counsel – one of only two Obama appointees in the agency – may have been
directly involved.
Bozell welcomes the 186 additional
signatories to the joint statement:
“Barack
Obama and his squawking parrots in the liberal media are calling the IRS
scandal ‘phony,’ and the networks have scrubbed it from their broadcasts. But
the everyday Americans targeted by this historic abuse of power don’t think
it’s phony.
“This
very real, very damaging political scandal is creating a massive credibility
problem not only for the IRS, but for the networks who refuse to report it.
“Nearly
200 leaders of the Conservative Movement and the Tea Party from across the
nation have joined our demand to the liberal media: Cover this story. Be
merciless and unrelenting. Learn and report the truth, even if it leads to the
Oval Office.”
Conservative Leaders
Rep. Michelle Bachman (R-6th/MN)
Jim Backlin, Christian Coalition of America
Gary L. Bauer, president, American Values
Morton Blackwell, chairman, The Weyrich Lunch
Brian Brown, president, National Organization for Marriage
Paul Caprio, president, Patriotic Veterans
Susan A. Carleson, chairman & CEO, American Civil Rights Union
Elaine Donnelly, president, Center for Military Readiness
Mark Fitzgibbons, president, corporate affairs, American Target Advertising
Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-1st/TX)
Colin A. Hanna, president, Let Freedom Ring
Andrea Lafferty, president, Traditional Values Coalition
George Landrith, president, Frontiers of Freedom
Jim Martin, president, 60 Plus Association
Gary A. Marx, executive director, Faith & Freedom Coalition
Penny Nance, CEO & president, Concerned Women for America
Preston Noell, III, president, Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.
Melissa Ortiz, founder/chairman, Able Americans
Karl Ottosen, acting chairman, MRC
Judson Phillips, founder, Tea Party Nation
Larry Pratt, executive director, Gun Owners of America
Bob Reccord, executive director, Council for National Policy
Rev. Lou Sheldon, Traditional Values Coalition
Craig Shirley, Reagan Biographer
Mat Staver, founder and chairman, Liberty Counsel
Stephen Stone, president, RenewAmerica
Lew Uhler, president, National Tax Limitation Committee
Richard Viguerie, chairman, ConservatveHQ.com
Tim Wildmon, president, American Family Association
Tea Party
Brad Tangen, acting coordinator, Northeast Arkansas Tea Party
Vera Anderson, leader of TP group, Daisy Mountain Tea Party Patriots
John Evans, Tea Party Patriots
Katie Miller, tea party Cochise county VP, Tea Party Cochise County
Bernard Paluch, leadership group, Surprise Tea Party Patriots
Joy Staveley, northern Arizona state coordinator, Tea Party Patriots and Flagstaff Tea Party
Don and Patti Woolley, local coordinators, Sahuarita TPP
Colleen Britton, president, Vaca Valley Tea Party
Ann Coil, coordinator, Santa Ana Tea Party
Linda Dorr, local coordinator, Laguna Patriots
Matt Grocott, director, MyLiberty
Ronika Johnson, coordinator, Mariposa Patriots
Ross Jones, moderator, Intermountian Tea Party
Gwen Myers, local coordinator, Tea Party Roseville CA
Sally Rapoza, community organizer, Redding Tea Party
James Ricketts, treasurer, Tea Party United
Carla Virga, secretary, Sutter Buttes Tea Party
Dean Wilson, Del Norte Tea Party Patriots
Randy Corporon, chairman, Arapahoe (County) Tea Party
Loren Sheets, 285 Corridor Tea Party
Regina Thomson, president, Colorado Tea Party Patriots
John Baker, coordinator, Pensacola Tea Party
William C. Benedict, Tea Party Manatee
Elaine Cade, Tea Party Manatee
Beth Colvin, Sarasota Patriots
John & Nancy Davis, Manatee County
Robert Duff, local coordinator, Broward Tea Party
Douglas Egger, member, BOD, Tea Party Manatee, Bradenton, FL
George Fuller, member, Sarasota Patriots
Lester Lob, Highlands Tea Party
Jack May, Tea Party Manatee
Harold Muxlow Sr., AAOL, Americans Against Oppressive Laws, Inc,
Larry Rued, Manatee Florida Tea Party
Gail Sylvia-Cox, Manatee County
Natalie Wiggins, Tea Party Manatee
Mary Adamski, co-founder, North Georgia 912
John Clark, Cedartown Tea Party
Debbie Dooley, co-founder, Atlanta Tea Party
Gail Engelhardt, director, Bartow County Tea Party
Bill Evelyn, SOGTP
William Gruetter, Preserve Our Constitution, Inc.,
James Hargreaves, Rights Under God
Ernest Housner, member, Tea Party Immigration Coalition
Michael Lowry, North Fulton & Friends
Kenneth Murphy, member, Fayette County Issue Tea Party
Lee Norman, assistant coordinator, Senoia Tea Party
Jacqueline Peterson, CEO, Cedartown Tea Party
Jack Smith, founder, Liberty Group Tea Party
Naomi Swanson, local coordinator, Dalton Tea Party
Janice Westmoreland, chair, Milledgeville Area Patriots
Joyce Lutz, Des Moines TP
Craig Campbell, executive officer, Ada County 1st BN Light Foot Militia
Warren Grover, Gem State Tea Party
Don Lloyd, LC Tea Party
Larae Oram, Pocatello Tea Party Patriots
Pam Stout, president, Sandpoint Tea Party Patriots
Teresa Ballew, co-Founder, Clark Co. Tea Party Patriots
James Bratten, local coordinator, Vanderburgh County Tea Party Patriots
Brent Gentry, Morgan County Tea Party Patriots
Ray Harney, Parke County Patriots
Kelly Khuri, co-founder, Clark County Tea Party Patriots
Craig Kline, co-founder, Greene Tea Patriots
Deborah Miller, local coordinator, Northern Indiana Patriots
Janet Smith, local coordinator, Greenfield Area Tea Party
Ronnie Broughton, president, Webster Tea Party Patriots
Marie Doucette, Cumberland County Tea Party
Mike Callahan, United and Standing
Anne Phelps, CEO, coordinator, precinct delegate, Concerned American Citizen, Stand Up Speak Out
Randy Liebo, coordinator, Liberty Tea Party Patriots
Clint Schaffnit, Lake of the Ozarks Tea Party for Liberty
Mart Staggs, leader, 9-12 We the People of Monroe Co.
Virginia Weigum, coordinator, TTP ST JO MO
Nathan Brown, local coordinator, South Mississippi Christian Tea Party Patriots
Cynthia Saulter, president/co-founder, Leflore/Carroll TEA Party
Charles Woolley, chairman, Clark Fork Valley Tea Party
Lynda Bennett, local coordinator, Haywood9-12 Tea Party
Lynn Childs, tea party chairman, Coastal Carolina Taxpayers Association
Linda Dollyhigh, Surry County Tea Party Patriots
Charles Gunn, Bladen Guards
Hope Hoyt, Catawba Valley Tea Party
Gary Key, construction manager, Surry County Tea Party
Kevin Shinault, NC TEA Coalition and Surry TEA Steering committee leader, Surry County Tea Party Patriots. NC Tea Coalition
Ralph Bodie, coordinator, Pawnee County Tea Party Patriots
James Mason, Nebraska state coordinator, Nebraska Tea Party Patriots
Barbara Brown, director, Tea Party Patriots of Southern New Jersey
Gary Charwin, leadership council member, Middlesex County, NJ Tea Party
Bill Haney, founder/vice president, West Jersey Tea Party
George Hathaway, president, Somerset County Tea Party Organization
Shelly Kennedy, coordinator designate, Bayshore Tea Party
Janice Lenox, director, TPPSNJ
Dennis Mahon, president, Tea Party Patriots of Southern NJ
Nick Rago, founder, Veritas Conservative Alliance
Helen Wagener, member, Liberty and Prosperity
Christopher Wysocki, local coordinator, Caldwell NJ Tea Party Patriots
Rick Crain, Nevada state coordinator, Tea Party Patriots
Brad Lytle, president, Twin Tier Tea Party
Gilda Ward, coordinator, Norwich Tea Party Patriots
Marion Bower, president, American Patriots Against Government Excess
Amy Brighton, co-founder and co-coordinator, Medina Tea Party Patriots
Andrew Castello, Firelands Patriots
James Eilert, director, treasurer, Wayne County (Ohio) TEA Party
Angelo Fantozzi, Sandusky
Tim, Kaser, Eerie County Tea Party
Ralph King, co-founder, Cleveland Tea Party Patriots
Ralph Kraus, president, Firelands Patriots
Linda Riggle, Erie Co Patriots
Douglas Robinson, chairman, Cincinnati East Tea Party
Timothy Savaglio, board member, Liberty Township Tea Party
Gary & Lois Scott, Firelands Patriots
Tom Stahl, Erie County Patriots
Dana Stahl, Firelands Patriots
Jan Gaddis, Chisholm Trail Tea party
Matthew Vermillion, president of executive committee, OKforTEA
Ronda Vuillemont-Smith, president/founder, Tulsa 9.12 Project
Vicki Fleshman, county coordinator, Wallowa County Tea Party
Lil Boysen, co-coordinator, Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots-Lower Bucks
Robert Boysen, PA state coordinator-Tea Party Patriots, Philadelphia Tea Party Patriots-Lower Bucks
John Morningstar, local coordinator, Bradforn County Tea Party
Lisa Nancollas, coordinator, Mifflin County Tea Party Patriots
David Noll, president, Bedford County Patriots Tea Party
Bruce & Edna Paskoff, local coordinators, Northeast Pennsylvania Spirit Of 1776
Jane Richey, local coordinator, Venango County Tea Party Patriots
Dianne Belsom, president, Laurens County Tea Party
Anthony Brodnicki, Edisto Patriots
James Matthews, Gilbert-Summit Tea Party
Davie Halpin, TeaTeamUSA
Gary Johnston, co-chairman, Roane County Tea Party
Lynn Moss, state coordinator, Tea Party Patriots
Mishelle Perkins, president, 912 Project Tennessee
Jay Robinson, attorney, Mid South Tea Party
Mark West, president, Chattanooga Tea Party
Maria Acosta, president & founder, Central Texas 9-12 Project
Salvatore Apicelli, education committee chair, San Antonio Tea Party
Mireille Buser, area coordinator, Far North Dallas Tea Party
Steve Cole, Rhome Tea Party
JoAnn Fleming, executive director, Grassroots America - We the People
Dale Huls, executive board member, Clear Lake Tea Party
Mary Huls, president, Clear Lake Tea Party
Lyleann McClellan Thee, vice president, San Angelo TEA Party, Inc.
Ruth Pharis, president, Hill Country Tea Party
Milton Richards, co-organizer, The 912ers of Katy
Tanya Robertson, executive board member, Clear Lake Tea Party
Robert Russell, director, We, the People of Texas, Inc.
Chris Wright, executive committee member, Alexandria Tea Party
Ellie Martin, organizer, VT Tax Payers Picnics
Bruce Brown, president, Lewis County Tea Party
Rose Bunch, secretary, Lewis Clark Tea Party
Dianne Capps, state coordinator, LC Tea Party
Carol Leisi, LC Tea Party
Coralee Mackey, WWTPP
Beth Munson, chair, Sno-Isle Tea Party
Ted Richerzhagen, chair, Walla Walla TEA Party Patriots
Marianne Shea, local coordinator, Asotin, WA
Maureen Sims, coordinator, Renton/Kent/Covington Tea Party Patriots,
Bill Blair, coordinator, Wild River Patriots,Corp.
Michael Hintze, state coordinator, Wisconsin Tea Party Patriots
James Murphy, founder, Green Bay Tea Party
To schedule an interview with MRC President Brent Bozell or another MRC spokesperson, please contact Jeremy Little - jlittle@crcpublicrelations.com [2] (703)-683-5004