Media and Democracy Project Inc

“Mad's outside cpa firm and the chairman/treasurer prepare the form 990. The form is then reviewed and approved by the organization's executive director, board chair, board treasurer, and secretary. The form is provided to and reviewed with the entire governing body prior to e-filing with the irs.”

“All officers, directors and key employees are covered persons under media and democracy project inc.'s conflict of interest policy. In connection with any actual or possible conflict of interest, an interested person must promptly disclose the existence and nature (including all material facts) of the financial interest to the board of directors and members of committees with any board-delegated powers considering the proposed transaction or arrangement. In order to facilitate the administration of this policy, interested persons who are current officers, directors, trustees and key employees must complete at least annually the annual questionnaire for current officers, directors, trustees, key employees, and members of committees with board-delegated powers. After disclosure of the financial interest and all material facts, and after any discussion with the interested person, the interested person shall leave the board or committee meeting while the financial interest is discussed and voted upon. The remaining disinterested members or committee members shall decide whether a conflict of interest exists. Procedures for addressing the conflict of interest: (a) the interested person may make a presentation at a board or committee meeting but, after the presentation, the interested person shall leave the meeting before the discussion of, and the vote on, the transaction or arrangement involving the possible conflict of interest. (b) the disinterested directors or committee members shall, if appropriate, appoint a disinterested person or committee to investigate alternatives to the proposed transaction or arrangement. (c) after exercising due diligence, the disinterested directors or committee members shall determine whether the organization can obtain a more advantageous transaction or arrangement with reasonable efforts from a person that would not give rise to a conflict of interest. (d) if a more advantageous transaction or arrangement is not reasonably attainable under circumstances that would not give rise to a conflict of interest, the disinterested directors or committee members shall determine by a majority vote whether the transaction or arrangement is in the organization's best interest, is for its own benefit, and is fair and reasonable to the organization. In addition to other considerations that may be used in making such determination, the disinterested directors or committee members shall follow the steps necessary to create a rebuttable presumption of reasonableness pursuant to treasury regulations section 53.4958-6, unless the disinterested directors or committee members determine that such determination is not practical, feasible or necessary under the circumstances, in which case the board or committee shall keep a record of such determination and the reason for such determination. Violations of the conflict of interest policy: (a) if the disinterested directors or committee members have reasonable cause to believe that an interested person has failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, then the disinterested directors or committee members shall inform the interested person of the basis for such belief and afford the interested person an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose. (b) if, after hearing the response of the interested person and making such further investigation as may be warranted under the circumstances, the disinterested directors or committee members determine that the interested person has, in fact, failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, then the disinterested directors or committee members shall take appropriate disciplinary and corrective action. The minutes of the board of directors' meetings and the minutes of all meetings of committees with board-delegated powers shall contain: (a) the name of any person who disclosed or otherwise was found to have a financial interest in connection with an actual or possible conflict of interest,”

“Governing documents, the conflict of interest policy, and financial statements are available to the public upon request. However, current tax law does not require governing documents, the conflict of interest policy, and financial statements be provided to the public.”

“Mad believes that, to be successful in these goals, it must activate people and engage organizations whose main focus is not media to recognize that a well-functioning press is essential for them to achieve their goals. Mad's work has three main pillars. First, mad advocates for and supports local journalism and works to achieve more public support for it. Second, mad encourages the media to report in a way that strengthens our society and democracy. Third, mad promotes a more active governmental role in maintaining a robust, diverse and independent media. All this work is conducted by mad volunteers and members in the united states. Mad strives toward these three pillars through the following activities. First, mad holds regular public meetings and public events to educate, inform, and activate people regarding the need for a better and more accountable press. In 2023, mad held 25 regular meetings and six special events with a combined registration of over 2,000 participants. Second, mad publishes work in blogs, magazines, social media, and elsewhere in the public eye, commenting on media practices and highlighting both good and bad examples of press coverage. In 2023, mad had established accounts on twitter (now x), instagram, tik tok, threads, mastodon and blue sky with over 12,000 unpaid followers across these platforms. Third, mad makes regulatory comments and brings regulatory actions when the need arises. In july 2023, mad was a lead petitioner to the federal communications commission (fcc) seeking to deny fox tv a local broadcast license. The fcc took the unusual step of opening the matter to public comment and has continued to hold up license renewal. Fourth, mad presents to other groups, participates in coalitions of civic engagement groups, and appears on podcasts to spread its mission. Finally, mad encourages its members to seek out and support good local journalism. In 2023, mad created a local journalism directory with over 1,700 high quality local news outlets and built a web platform to make it easy for users to find outlets in their area.”