Comparing funding disclosures of Public Knowledge, New America, PFF, ITIF

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

It is a lot more complicated in that one really needs to tunnel down  
into who funds the funders.

ALSO I DO NOT PERSONALLY CHALLENGE POSTED ARTICLES UNLESS THEY ARE  
OBVIOUS LIES OR OVERLY HOSTILE. I HAVE OFTEN SAID THIS BUT PEOPLE  
DON'T READ  DJF

DAVE

Begin forwarded message:

From: "David P. Reed" <dpreed () reed com>
Date: October 20, 2009 12:01:27 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Cc: ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: Comparing funding disclosures of Public Knowledge, New  
America, PFF, ITIF

Since IP has chosen to post a statement that implies that certain DC  
firms are not disclosing when they are supported by corporate  
interestes, I thought I'd do a little online research.  Perhaps this  
would be a bit more "fair and balanced" than the unchallenged  
statement you posted, Dave.

It's  worth pointing out that Public Knowledge is a "public interest  
group".  New America Foundation is a "nonprofit, nonpartisan public  
policy institute that invests in new thinkers and new ideas".  That  
makes it a "think tank" doing research, not a public interest group.   
This is quite different.  One attempts to represent a particular  
segment of public interest.  The other does research and reports to  
provide analysis and understanding.

Not mentioned by the accuser, but included for my comparison, are two  
other prominent policy actors with regard to the Internet, PFF and  
ITIF.  They are, like New America, think-tanks, and not "public  
interest groups".

PFF is a "market-oriented think tank that studies the impact of the  
digital revolution and its implications for public policy"

ITIF is a "non-partisan research and educational institute - a think- 
tank - whose mission is to formulate and promote public polices to  
advance technological innovation and productivity internationally, in  
Washington, and in the states".

Now let's look at disclosure of funding!  This was interesting.

I checked what Public Knowledge discloses, since it was attacked by  
another poster as "actually taking money from corporations".  Here's  
their disclosure, quite publicly available on their website.  [Please  
note that I am not affiliated with Public Knowledge, though I did  
receive an award from them a few years ago, perhaps because they find  
that I serve the public interest.]

http://www.publicknowledge.org/about/who/funders

The bulk of their money seems to come from foundations, unless the  
claim is that the pie chart lies.  They disclose every corporate donor  
and foundation.

I also found that New America prominently discloses its funding: http://www.newamerica.net/about/funding
and the bulk seems to be foundations as well. [Please note that I am  
not affiliated with New America either, though I have helped them by  
providing information to their staff on some reports in the past].

PFF is a somewhat more vague, but pretty clearly corporate funded:
    http://www.pff.org/about/supporters.html
Note that it says "supporters ... include" but it does not indicate  
either level of funding or discount that there might be substantial  
funders not on the list on that page.   I would also note that Google  
is a supporter of PFF - I doubt that means that Google directs their  
work.  [I am not affiliated with PFF, though I have participated in  
events hosted by Adam Thierer when he was at Cato before PFF].

Now let's look at ITIF.   I have searched its site comprehensively.  I  
cannot find any disclosure of its sources of funding whatever, neither  
"type of funding" nor "names of prominent funders".  [I am not  
affiliated with ITIF]

What is most interesting to me is that the organizations who disagree  
with PK and New America Foundation are the ones whose funding  
disclosures are the least complete, and in one case, apparently  
entirely dominated by corporations.













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