People for the American Way facts for kids
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| Founded | September 4, 1980 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Norman Lear |
| Type | Advocacy group |
| Legal status | 501(c)(4) social welfare organization |
| Focus | Progressive/liberal advocacy |
| Location | |
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Area served
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United States |
| Method | Media attention, direct-appeal campaigns |
| Lara Bergthold | |
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President
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Svante Myrick |
| Affiliations |
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Revenue (2014)
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$5,768,692 |
| Expenses (2014) | $5,690,909 |
|
Employees (2014)
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61 |
People For the American Way, also known as PFAW, is a group in the United States that works to support progressive ideas. It is a non-profit organization. PFAW was started in 1980 by a TV producer named Norman Lear. He wanted to challenge the ideas of another group called the Moral Majority.
Contents
History of PFAW
Norman Lear founded PFAW on September 4, 1980. He started it because he disagreed with the public goals of the Moral Majority. This was a well-known group linked to the Christian right. Other people who helped start PFAW included Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. Time Inc. chairman and CEO Andrew Heiskell also helped.
PFAW first began as a project of the Tides Foundation. This foundation helps direct money to causes that support liberal ideas.
Some past presidents of PFAW include Arthur Kropp, Tony Podesta, and Ralph Neas.
After PFAW started, it created another group called People for the American Way Foundation. This foundation does more educational and research work for liberal causes. Later, the People for the American Way Voters Alliance was also created. This group helps in political elections.
What PFAW Does
PFAW is active in important decisions about judges. They have spoken against some people chosen for the U.S. Supreme Court. For example, they opposed Robert Bork and Brett Kavanaugh. They supported the choice of Sonia Sotomayor.
PFAW also takes part in national elections. They work to support or oppose different candidates.
Right Wing Watch
One of PFAW's projects is a website called Right Wing Watch. This website collects statements from public figures. These figures are often labeled as right-wing. They include politicians, preachers, and others. The site focuses on hate speech and certain conspiracy theories.
The website started in 2007. Before that, PFAW used to record TV shows like Pat Robertson's 700 Club. They would then share these clips with news groups.
In 2013, a politician named Gordon Klingenschmitt tried to remove Right Wing Watch's videos from YouTube. He claimed they were using his copyrighted material. The Electronic Frontier Foundation helped Right Wing Watch protect their videos.
In 2014, a TV channel called HGTV stopped plans for a show. This happened after Right Wing Watch pointed out statements about homosexuality made by Jason and David Benham.
In 2018, news sites like Salon.com and the Daily Telegraph said that Jared Holt helped remove Alex Jones's InfoWars show. Holt is a researcher for Right Wing Watch. The show was removed from sites like Apple, Inc, YouTube, Facebook, and Spotify. After this, Holt said he received threats.
In June 2021, Right Wing Watch's YouTube channel was temporarily stopped by YouTube. YouTube later said it was a mistake. At that time, the channel had about 47,000 followers.
Many news groups have quoted Right Wing Watch. These include NPR, Fortune, The Daily Beast, HuffPost, and a local Fox News channel.
Leaders of PFAW
Michael Keegan was the president of PFAW for 11 years. He left in June 2020. On June 15, 2020, Ben Jealous became the new president. Then, on November 14, 2022, Svante Myrick took over as president.
Many people have been on the group's board of directors. These include John Hall Buchanan, Jr., Alec Baldwin, Seth MacFarlane, Mary Frances Berry, Julian Bond, Bertis Downs IV, James Hormel, Dolores Huerta, Jane Lynch, Josh Sapan, Dennis Van Roekel, Howie Klein, and Reg Weaver.
How PFAW Gets Money
Major groups and people who give money to PFAW include George Soros' Open Society Institute. Other donors are the Miriam G. and Ira D. Wallach Foundation, the Bauman Family Foundation, and the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund.
See also
In Spanish: People For the American Way para niños
