NPR Campaign-Cash Reporter Touts Tactics of Leftist 'Democracy Alliance;' Offers No Complaint About Their 'Dark Money'

On All Things Considered on April 4, liberal NPR pundit E. J. Dionne complained that “we've created this whole system of dark money and now we're supposed to be grateful that a lot of rich people can give money under the table and over the table. And the last thing is, a lot of people using the words oligarchy and I think that's an appropriate word.”

On All Things Considered on April 30, NPR campaign-finance reporter Peter Overby aired an entire story about Democrats and former Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens complaining about “dark money,” campaign spending from groups that don’t disclose their donors. But on the May 14 Morning Edition, Overby aired an entire story about a left-wing dark money group called the “Democracy Alliance,” and never mentioned once their donor non-disclosure.

STEVE INSKEEP, anchor: And let's take a look now at a campaign tool that Democrats used to great effect in the 2012 presidential race: Big Data. The Obama campaign stunned the opposition with its high-tech ability to reach and mobilize voters. Now, liberal superPACs and independent groups are applying that technology to the midterm elections, with help from wealthy progressive donors. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

PETER OVERBY: If there was a central planning for progressive political donors, it might be the Democracy Alliance, a loose but powerful collection of top-tier givers who try to set common goals.

GARA LAMARCHE: We set our strategies every three years, and then we kind of sunset them and take a look at what needs to happen in the future. So we're in the middle of that.

PETER OVERBY: This is Gara LaMarche, president of the Democracy Alliance. He says one top priority is building a ground operation for the long run. Take advantage of America's changing demographics and generate more votes from women, African-Americans and Hispanics in elections running thru the next redistricting.

The Washington Free Beacon has been reporting on the group’s donors. But NPR could also read the leftist outlets it likes best, like Mother Jones, who wrote last fall on "Liberal Group to Fight Dark Money…by Raising $40 Million of It.”

Overby also mentioned a major NPR donor in his report – George Soros, who pledged $1.8 million to NPR – but there was no disclosure to listeners:

PETER OVERBY: Another donor in the Democracy Alliance, financier George Soros, has given more than $2 million to a firm called Catalist, and he sends a million dollars a year to the nonprofit America Votes. That's according to a Soros adviser. Both entities supply data and analytics to liberal groups. Meanwhile, conservatives are striving to catch up.

Gara LaMarche was also a Soros employee, while we're mentioning what's going unmentioned on NPR....and please recall that NPR acquired Peter Overby from the left-wing advocacy group Common Cause, something he's omitted while boosting his old team.