“Some News Leaves People Knowing Less,” blares a headline from the political science department of Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey today. The University conducted a survey of several hundred New Jersey residents and found some numbers that are very convenient for the enemies of a certain news organization– Fox News viewers were 18% more likely to be either misinformed or uninformed about certain current events.

On Wednesday’s edition of Fox News’s The Five, Eric Bolling theorized that Herman Cain’s sex scandal was a “systemic taking apart of a conservative right by the left.” “They are not doing it to Romney. They are not doing it to Newt Gingrich. They are established center-of-the-road Republicans. The far right is systematically –” “But who specifically?” interjected Andrea Tantaros. Bolling ran off a laundry list of Republican scandals. “It’s one after the other after the other,” Bolling alleged. “Eric, who are you talking about? Would you put some names on the table and put some evidence on the table or are you going to continue to do this McCarthy-esque stuff that you’re doing?” Bob Beckel asked. “My hunch is it’s the left-wing nutjobs at Media Matters and all the other liberal blogs.”

The Mitt Romney campaign has recently released a web-only campaign ad that goes after comments made by Rick Perry at the most recent Fox News GOP debate over the issue of immigration. The video itself is a rather predictable example from the “gotcha politics” playbook, however the music bed underneath may sound familiar to anyone accustomed to watching videos online: it’s the same music bed used by Left Wing media watchdog Media Matters (sturm and drang!)

Olbermann capped off his “Worst Persons” segment Tuesday night with an excoriation of Fox News’ handling of the Jimmy Hoffa Voter Encouragement Crisis/Incendiary Rhetorapocalypse, and while Media Matters fairly lauded Fox Chief White House correspondent Ed Henry‘s reporting (while condemning other elements of Fox’s coverage), Olbermann slammed Henry as “mediocre,” and falsely accused him of ascribing violent intent to Hoffa.

It was a confrontation for the ages. Earlier today, conservative media titan Andrew Breitbart, Big Journalism editor Dana Loesch, and Big Government editor Mike Flynn ventured into the Washington, DC headquarters of liberal media watchdog Media Matters, reputed lair of billionaire boogeyman George Soros. Their quarry? A copy of Media Matters‘ IRS 990 disclosure form. Media Matters has released video of the confrontation between the conservative trio and Media Matters Executive Vice President Ari Rabin-Havt.

A couple of days ago, Glenn Beck got a lot of heat for comments he made on his radio show Tuesday. Beck and his cohosts questioned the term “African American,” pointing out that it was ridiculous sounding when you were abroad. What got him in the most trouble was statements he made that seemed to imply that the term “colored” wasn’t that bad. In response to the scandal, Beck furiously hit out against the media and especially the Huffington Post for misrepresenting what he said for the sake of driving traffic and discrediting his character.

According to Politico White House press pooler Carrie Budoff Brown, the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Virgina minutes ago was felt on the Martha’s Vineyard golf course where President Obama was playing when it hit. Meanwhile, Media Matters‘ Oliver Willis observes that the conservative media are already pointlessly pointing out that the President was on vacation when the quake hit, tweeting “Conservatives Can’t Decide If Obama Was Too Busy Golfing Or Biking To Stop The #Earthquake.”

Hey! So, you know how the job market is looking pretty awful and everyone is lamenting the death of America and liberty and justice and Harry Potter and everything? It’s depressing, right? Well, here, additional fodder to help you spiral ever downward in a rapid descent towards deep clinical depression: Monitoring the media pays HUGE bucks.

The Poynter Institute’s ever-valuable Romenesko blog offers a glimpse into the accounting ledgers of organizations created to make sure the reports presented in the media are balanced (in their favor). If you’re a regular Mediaite reader, you’re likely at least somewhat familiar with the Media Research Center and its liberal cousin, Media Matters for America.

Here’s what some of their respective employees make annually:

Within hours of being hired by Fox News, White House correspondent Ed Henry found himself in the crosshairs of Fox-hunting media watchdog Media Matters, who published a thin batch of research suggesting conservative bias. Scant weeks later, Henry seems to have earned his way (at least temporarily) off of the group’s s#%t list, pretty much the same way he got on it: by doing his job.

First Lady Michelle Obama made slow summer news Monday by visiting the newly-opened Washington, DC Shake Shack. Since the coverage focused not on the jolt such a visit could give business, or the reactions of locals, but on the First Lady’s calorie count, you might think this story was pushed by the usual conservative media [...]

Bob Beckel may be right about Glenn Beck’s audience “fleeing” his Fox News replacement, but it certainly won’t be because of boredom. The new show, The Five, which will be airing in Beck’s place for the rest of the summer, premiered today with an energetic talk about most of your usual Fox News subjects like Sarah Palin’s presidential chances, Congress’ waste, and the debt ceiling. There was, however, way more jokes about hookers than we expected.

The war between Media Matters and Fox News that has resulted in some on the latter network calling for the former organization to have its tax-exempt status removed has resulted in many comparisons between the two, and debates over how much bias is an unfair amount. On tonight’s Hardball, Chris Matthews and his panel debated just how ideological Media Matters is, but not for long before discussing the “authoritarian” nature of conservative opinion itself.

If you’ve been watching Fox News lately (or, alternately, following Mediaite’s coverage of Fox News), you may have noticed that the network has been devoting quite a bit of attention to liberal media watchdog Media Matters.

This morning, Fox and Friends aired yet another segment devoted to Media Matters, with host Steve Doocy asking the Washington Examiner‘s Mark Tapscott to weigh in on the group’s tax status. The segment included a call to action of sorts, with Tapscott telling Doocy that Fox News is “doing a public service by encouraging hopefully thousands and thousands of people to file a complaint with the IRS.”

Recently Jon Stewart received the attention of many Fox News personalities, and now it seems Media Matters founder David Brock and his organization are the new people of interest. This morning Juan Williams suggested Media Matters is trying to ruin people’s lives, and now Fox News contributor Dr. Keith Ablow weighs in with his psychological profile of what exactly makes Brock tick.

Juan Williams appeared on Fox & Friends and told Brian Kilmeade it was laughable that Media Matters is considered a charitable institution when they are dedicated to silencing honest debate. Kilmeade was shocked that Media Matters searches for disgruntled Fox News employees to help with their campaign against the network, and now Williams and other Fox personalities seem ready to fight back.

It appears that Fox News is not ready to take Media Matters’ “victory lap” over Glenn Beck‘s departure this week lying down. In fact, half of today’s Fox News Watch was dedicated to MMFA’s “guerrilla warfare,” and questioning whether their tax-exempt status was fair given the feud.

For many for whom Glenn Beck was a program dedicated to misinformation and paranoia, today was a particularly good day. MSNBC’s Cenk Uygur couldn’t contain his glee at Glenn Beck wrapping up his final show today, dedicating to the former Fox News host a montage of controversial clips that “almost makes me tear up,” and discussing with guest Eric Boehlert how Media Matters explains their advertising boycott led to the end of the program.

Bill O’Reilly keeps addresses to his media enemies at a bare minimum, but tonight he devoted an entire segment to declaring war on left-wing media criticism site Media Matters for America and their current tax-exempt status. Along with Washington Times reporter C. Boyden Gray, O’Reilly highlighted the fact that MMFA had not paid taxes since well into the George W. Bush administration and it would take an independent formal complaint to remove their status.

Ed Henry is on Media Matters’ [Expletive] List now that he’s moved from CNN to Fox News as the network’s chief White House correspondent.

The National Journal suggest the liberal media watchdog may be a little hasty in its attempts to paint Henry as an overtly partisan right-winger.

A round-table discussion format where copious off-color jokes and equal-opportunity disparagement are encouraged, Fox News’ 3 AM comedy fest Red Eye has, somewhat unexpectedly, developed a loyal following and become one Fox’s most popular shows. In honor of their 1,000th episode, airing tonight, here are five reasons why staying up with the Red Eye crew is worth the sleep deprivation.

Andrew Breitbart is sounding the war drums, but George Soros, John Podesta, and all the usual suspects are safe. In fact, he’s not after a liberal at all this time. The Shirley Sherrod affair has torn asunder the once amicable relations between Breitbart and his now-former ally in the war on liberal elitism Glenn Beck, to which Breitbart has offered $100,000 in charity donations in exchange for a lie detector test to prove it was he, and not Breitbart, who aired the unfairly edited video.

Bill O’Reilly began his program today with a rather celebratory Talking Points Memo. The occasion was a combative one, a twofold victory that once again demonstrated his and Fox News’ place in the media world: Orbitz’s rebuke of Media Matters for trying to get them not to advertise on the network, and O’Reilly’s personal victory as America’s most trusted journalist (after “Don’t Know” and “Nobody”).

In the political debates regularly covered here at Mediaite, this New York Magazine story would fairly be described as “the other story.” Not the explosive one on Roger Ailes and Fox News, but the one on Media Matters founder David Brock. His story as a conservative turncoat is a fascinating one, replete with apologies for his errant ways and his new commitment to taking down the group he once represented. But much of the piece focuses on his near obsession with Fox News which he says has transformed “into something that isn’t even recognizable as a form of media.”

As the New York magazine profile of Fox News chief Roger Ailes continues to send shockwaves through the cable news universe, officials at Fox News are quick to clear up at least one inaccuracy while fair-minded readers of the article are left wondering about another question. Why did the piece feature a disparaging image of Ailes with a cigar blowing up in his face, while a similarly extensive profile of Media Matters founder David Brock, which appeared in the same issue of the magazine, showcased a flattering portrait of the Fox News nemesis?

The effort by liberal media watchdog group Media Matters to convince half a dozen leading national advertisers to pull their dollars from the Fox News Channel got a high-profile snub Thursday when Orbitz, the travel company, not only declined to participate, but fired back at Media Matters, calling the “Drop Fox” campaign a “smear effort.”