SourceWatch is a project of the Center for Media and Democracy.  The organization has the mission of documenting the public relations and propaganda activities of various PR companies and lobbying groups.  SourceWatch also tracks the activities of think tanks, corporate-backed organizations and other paid shills which masquerade as "advocacy groups".  At present, SourceWatch has over 36,000 articles on such groups.

Alongside other organizations such as Common Cause, The Center for Responsive Politics and Freepress.org, SourceWatch has recently turned its efforts to examining the role of so-called "527 committees", which some argue are serving as a "loophole" for politicians to avoid Federal Campaign Finance Reform laws.

SourceWatch has exposed many notorious "front groups" such as:

"Hands off the Internet" - Pretending to be a "nationwide coalition of Internet users", this group is nothing more than a front for major telecommunication firms fighting government regulation.

 "Center for Union Facts" - A false front for lobbyists and mega-corporations opposed to the activities of labor unions.  The organization disseminates outrageously anti-union propaganda on behalf of corporations seeking to reduce or eliminate the minimum wage and dismantle the Wagner Act.

 "NetCompetition.org" - Another misleading site claiming to represent the Internet user but actually an industry-sponsored (and industry-funded) group which opposes Net Neutrality.

Next time someone quotes statistics from a think tank or lobbying group, do your homework and look that organization up on SourceWatch.  Chances are, you'll find that source listed.  And you'll learn the true agenda and intent of the quoted source for yourself.

Knowledge is power.