Culture and Media Institute

The Culture and Media Institute is a project of the Media Research Center, a conservative media watchdog organization. The institute states that its mission "is to preserve and help restore America's culture, character, traditional values, and morals against the assault of the liberal media elite, and to promote fair portrayal of social conservatives and religious believers in the media."

Personnel

 * Dan Gainor, Director
 * Matt Philbin, Managing Editor
 * Colleen Raezler, Research Assistant

Contact Details
Website: http://www.cultureandmediainstitute.org/welcome.aspx

CMI Studies

 * A March 2007 "National Cultural Values Survey" divided the country into "Orthodox" ("fundamentally religious in outlook ... see moral issues in black and white, right vs. wrong"), "Progressives" ("fundamentally secular and are opposed to religious values in government ... believe in situational ethics"), and "Independent" ("do not fully accept either Orthodox or Progressive values"). It claimed that "The religious Orthodox believe in living by God’s revealed morality, while the secular Progressives believe in writing their own moral code. Based on the survey data, departure from God’s moral precepts is the cause of America’s widely perceived moral decline."
 * A November 2007 study claimed that evening newscasts on ABC, CBS and NBC "overwhelmingly blamed business for 'luring' consumers to make bad decisions. At the same time, the three networks ignored personal responsibility and portrayed borrowers as helpless victims who had no hand in their own financial failures."
 * A February 2008 study claimed that newspaper advice columnist Dear Abby's "columns on sex reflect an unwillingness to support traditional, common-sense moral values that steer people away from destructive behavior and protect them from harmful situations. Dear Abby’s advice on sexual matters cannot be trusted."

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Robert Knight (former CMI director)