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PUBLIC INTEREST ORGANIZATIONS

These websites offer a variety of public interest/advocacy sites with different emphases and perspectives.  Some are comprehensive sites dealing with a variety of social, economic, political, and civil-liberties issues of importance to the nation and local communities.  Most of these are nonpartisan in nature, while others represent specific ideological viewpoints.

Some websites give practical advice on participating in community activities, or address specific areas of concern such as corporate oversight, conflict-of-interest issues, or government oversight.  Some of these sites also cover "freedom of information" and privacy issues.  For related information, see FREEDOM OF INFORMATION and PRIVACY.


A Stake in Civil Liberties (SCL)

•  Sponsored by the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC)
•  BORDC "... supports repeal of parts of the USA PATRIOT Act, Homeland Security Act, and Executive Orders that infringe on Constitutional rights"
•  Promotes local efforts to repeal sections of these acts; provides instructions on procedures to accomplish this
•  Links to websites of other organizations concerned with this issue
•  Excellent overview of the issues involved in the USA PATRIOT Act and Homeland Security Act and the efforts of those organizations that believe that sections of those acts are unconstitutional


American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

•  "Defending the Bill of Rights," the ACLU is a non-profit organization, whose mission is "... to fight civil liberties violations wherever and whenever they occur"
•  Founded in 1923, the ACLU acts as an advocate for the rights of individuals and organizations across the political and religious spectrum, often taking on highly controversial and unpopular causes/issues"
•  "Legislative Update" links to existing and proposed Congressional legislation for 23 topical areas (including 80 sub-topics), dealing with discrimination, healthcare issues, criminal justice, religious liberty and other civil liberties issues
•  "In the Courts" links to information regarding the Supreme Court's current cases and decisions; archived from 1994 to the present
•  "In the States" provides contact information on state affiliates and includes news
•  E-mail update feature available
•  Includes membership information, online forum, feedback, publications, events
•  A pioneer in public interest issues, the ACLU is one of the best-known and reliable organizations to go to for information on such issues


Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC)

•  Established in 1993 at the University of Pennsylvania, the APPC “… performs research in the fields of political communication, information and society, media and the developing child, health communication and adolescent risk”
•  Target audience includes “policy-makers, journalists, scholars, constituent groups, and the general public”
•  Includes information on APPC’s “ongoing initiatives,” events (conferences, “expert panels,” lectures), news/news archives, books/publications, multimedia, forums/blogs
•  Outstanding; this public policy research center is one of the most respected centers for the policy areas/issues it addresses


Center for Public Integrity (CPI)

•  "A non-profit, non-partisan, tax-exempt organization," the CPI specializes in "public service journalism" which produces "... high-quality, well-documented investigative research resulting in a better-informed citizenry"
•  CPI produces newsletters, reports and studies which investigate corporate/governmental malfeasance, with particular attention to lobbying, industry/government conflicts-of-interests, and campaign finance (and its impact on the upcoming 2004 election)
•  Works in conjunction with the "International Consortium of Investigative Journalists "(ICIJ)", which provides similar oversight in over 40 countries
•  "Well-Connected" examines "... who owns the media in any town in America"
•  "Hired Guns" examines "... what each state discloses about its lobbyists"
•  Excellent; one of the best sites for rooting out conflict-of-interest information


Checklist for an Advocacy Web Page

•  Compiled by J. Alexander and M. Tate; sponsored by Wolfgram Memorial Library, Widener University
•  This brief checklist gives suggestions for determining whether a web page is produced by a legitimate advocacy/public interest organization
•  Gives guidance for determining a site's authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, coverage
•  Not extensive, but very useful for its stated purpose


Civic Practices Network (CPN)

•  "CPN is a collaborative and nonpartisan project dedicated to bringing practical tools for public problem solving into community and institutional settings in America"
•  CPN serves as a clearinghouse for innovative programs and projects for a wide variety of civic initiatives for the following topics: government, the environment, health, civic communication, religion, families/gender/children, work/empowerment
•  Each of the above "Topics" includes "Civic Perspectives" (essays) and "Stories & Case Studies" (hands-on examples of relevant programs/projects initiated and submitted by participants)
•  "Tools" links to online guides/manuals for successful implementation of initiatives or programs
•  Participants are from a wide spectrum of society and include community organizers, business people, journalists, environmentalists, civil servants, teachers, civic leaders, librarians, policy experts and others interested in "civic renewal"
•  One of the best civic involvement organizations; excellent, for its practicality and scope


Common Cause (CC)

•  Founded in 1970, Common Cause, a "nonpartisan, citizens' lobbying group," with over 200,000 members/supporters, is financed by dues/contributions from its members and "... does not accept foundation or government grants or solicit contributions from labor unions or corporations"
•  CC's primary emphasis is on "clean government" issues (campaign reform funding, standards of ethics) and "... pressing for adherence to basic principles of civil and equal rights for all citizens"
•  Site includes information on state affiliates, programs, jobs
•  Most productive navigation is from the "Site Index"
•  Outstanding; one of the most authoritative, objective and well-known public interest sites


Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR)

•  "A democratically organized membership organization," the CPSR is "... a public-interest alliance of computer scientists and others concerned about the impact of computer technology on society"
•  "Topics" links to sites dealing with computer technology's influence on cyber-rights, education, the environment, voting, privacy, intellectual property, "Internet Governance," access issues
•  Many of the topical links are to professional organizations and their initiatives, but CPSR — generated material is also included
•  Includes information on membership, initiatives, publications, news, events
•  Great example of a specialized website concerned with one topical area; easy-to-navigate


CorpWatch

•  "CorpWatch counters corporate-led globalization through education and activism. We work to foster democratic control over corporations by building grassroots globalization — a diverse movement for human rights, labor rights and environmental justice."
•  Formerly known as "Corporate Watch"
•  An online public interest group offering news and resource links to the economic, environmental and social impact of corporations on a national and international basis
•  "Hands-On Corporate Research Guide" outlines procedures for acquiring general company information and how to determine a company's activities concerning the environment, labor and other issues
•  Includes links to activist groups, corporate oversight and specific industry/product issues
•  One of the best sites for current news and analysis of corporate activity worldwide


DataCenter – Web Resources

•  “Strives for a sustainable economy and environment, a just and humane criminal justice system, and leadership of young people for seven generations to come, through … sharing power … developing strategy … democratizing research … supporting community-based research … transferring skills … realizing our vision”
•  Links to almost 200 websites for the following categories: researching company information, corporate responsibility, government information, money and politics, labor, the environment, prison/criminal justice, welfare/economic rights, education/schools
•  Many sites are concerned with monitoring government and corporate activities; there is “overlap” in some categories
•  Excellent annotations accompany most links
•  Outstanding; another premier site which links to many of the best sites for social justice issues


e.thePeople

•  Sponsored by the "Democratic Project", "a nonprofit organization aimed at creating citizen-centric public spaces on the Internet"
•  "The digital town hall of the nation," e.thePeople "... promotes intelligent, diverse and deliberative discussions, both here and among a network of sites around the Internet"
•  This interactive site encourages and facilitates online discussion via "Conversation," "Letters (Connect with Your Government)," "Petitions" (sign an existing petition or create one)
•  "Issues & Action" monitors pending legislation in Congress and roll call votes; a sub-category, "Browse by Issue Area" (currently over 50 issues) allows users to track an issue through Congress; also links to relevant organizations for that issue
•  "Questions" feature available
•  Membership is required for full access to the site (but it's free!)
•  Excellent; not only does this site provide a forum for contacting government officials, it also provides information disclosing Congressional activities, very useful in determining legislators' accountability


Fighting Corporate and Government Wrongdoing: A Research Guide to International and U.S. Federal Laws on White-Collar

•  Posted on the "Law Library Resource Exchange (LLRX)"; authored by Kumar Percy, Tarlton Law Library, University of Texas in Austin School of Law
•  "A Research Guide to International and U.S. Federal Laws on White-Collar Crime and Corruption," this site examines Internet and print resources which discuss corporate fraud and government malfeasance
•  Excellent annotations accompany most citations and links
•  Print resources may be found in libraries specializing in legal research
•  One of the best sites for its subject; well organized; especially useful for combining international and federal law on one site


Heritage Foundation (HF)

•  "Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute — a think tank — whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense"
•  "Heritage Research" issues policy papers on over 30 economic, political and social issues; most content material for an issue consists of HF-produced studies, lectures, "Web Memos" and "Of Additional Interest" (sidebars, which often link to related resources)
•  Maintains "Policy Archives" which can be retrieved by date, issue, type
•  Provides information regarding HF's programs, news, publications and related information
•  Most productive navigation is from the "Site Map"
•  Probably the best-known — and certainly one of the most prestigious — "think tanks" from a conservative perspective


Integrity in Science: A CSPI Project

•  Maintained by Virginia Sharpe, Rick Blum and Bill Faust for the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
•  "Project's goal is to provide objective information on the relationships of scientists, researchers, academic institutions and other non-profits in the fields of medicine, the environment, nutrition and toxicology to corporations and other for-profit institutions"
•  Funded by subscriptions to CSPI's "Nutrition Action Healthletter" and foundation grants: no support from corporate or government sources
•  Provides the "Integrity in Science Database of Scientists' & Non-Profits' Links to Industry," an extensive resource which may be browsed or searched by name, company, or university
•  Inclusion in the database is "... not intended to imply that the parties have acted improperly"
•  "The information provided here was collected from scholarly publications, news articles, resumes, industry bulletins, federal agencies, corporate and university websites, conference programs, and direct contacts"
•  "Resources" includes links to the project's "Actions and Publications," laws and legislation, conflict-of-interest guides, advisory committees (both private and governmental), a "Selected Bibliography," and additional links
•  Excellent; one of the best — if not the best — sites of its type; a great place to access objective, factual information about the ties of non-profits to corporations


Judicial Watch (JW)

•  "Because no one is above the law," the mission of Judicial Watch, "a nonpartisan, nonprofit foundation" is "... to serve as an ethical and legal 'watchdog' over our government, legal and judicial systems to promote a return to ethics and morality in our nation's public life"
•  "JW Cases" gives updates on JW-sponsored court cases currently under consideration and those that have already been resolved; most cases involve violations of law by federal agencies
•  "News and Announcements" keeps abreast of JW-related news as well as other noteworthy judicial news
•  Includes information about membership, JW's "Media Center" activities/ services, events
•  This organization, which provides an "ombudsman" function for those who seek redress from government, is one of the best resources for using the courts to reign in abuses and violations of the federal government


National Priorities Project (NPP)

•  “A 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent”
•  “Does not in any manner endorse or oppose any candidates for public office”
•  “Breaks down federal expenditures and needs on education, energy, health, housing, hunger, labor, and poverty by state, county and school district”
•  Also analyzes the cost of the Iraq war and its negative impact on states, congressional districts and city/local government
•  Outstanding; one of the best non-partisan sources for in-depth information on the allocation of federal budget resources


OMB Watch (OMBW)

•  "Guided by the belief that improving access to our governmental decision-makers and energizing citizen participation will lead to a more just, equitable and accountable government"
•  OMBW's original focus was for providing oversight for the "Office of Management and Budget," but it has since expanded its activities to include the following: "regulatory and government accountability; information for democracy and community; nonprofit advocacy and other cross-cutting nonprofit issues; nonprofit policy and technology"
•  "OMB Watch" is a bi-weekly alert service for news/updates on issues pertaining to OMBW's focus
•  "Biennial Report/Tax Information" providing information on site's funding
•  Most productive navigation is through "Site Map"
•  Excellent; one of the best sites for current news and analysis of federal budgetary and regulatory issues


People for the American Way (PFAW)

•  Founded in 1983, PFAW is "... an energetic advocate for the values and institutions that sustain a diverse democratic society," whose goal is "... to protect our most fundamental rights and freedoms," many of which PFAW feels "... are now threatened by the influence of the radical right"
•  Primary issues of interest to PFAW are "... public education, religious freedom, civil rights and equal rights, constitutional liberties, civic participation," all of which sub-divide into more specific sub-issues (which include policy analysis and related links)
•  News updates available ("Latest Headlines," "Right Wing Watch")
•  Also links to resources on state issues ("In the States"), Congressional activities ("On Capitol Hill"), "In the Courts" (judicial activities/decisions)
•  Also includes information regarding membership, donations, staff directory, "Media Center" programs
•  Unabashedly partisan, PFAW is one of the strongest advocates for "progressive" stands on a variety of issues; one of the best and most energetic public-interest organizations for its point-of-view


PetitionOnline.com

•  Sponsored by Artifice, Inc.
•  With "... more than 15 million signatures collected — thousands of active petitions," this site provides "... the ancient methods of grassroots democracy, combined with the latest digital networked communications, running live and free 24 hours a day"
•  Browsable for the following categories: politics/government (international, national, state and local), entertainment/media, environment, religion, technology/business
•  The best way of locating petitions quickly)
•  Includes a feature for creating a free online petition
•  Comprehensive and easy-to-navigate, this site is an excellent resource for both identifying existing online petitions and creating new ones


Political Advocacy Groups: A Directory of United States Lobbyists

•  Created and maintained by Kathi C. Fountain, Washington State University Vancouver Library
•  “Subjects” offers a browsable directory of almost 50 topics (abortion/reproduction to voting/elections), including population-specific sites (children, disabled, racial/ethnic groups, religious groups) and groups across the political spectrum (“Multi-Issue Liberal and Conservative Groups,” “Think Tanks”)
•  Each group’s link within “Subjects” browser provides contact information and a short description of its purpose/mission
•  “All Groups, A-Z” offers browsable access to over 400 advocacy groups
•  “Rating Congress” lists over 60 groups which provide ratings on the voting records of members of Congress, both House and Senate; also, in some instances, rates presidential candidates
•  Outstanding; this is one of the most comprehensive sites of its kind; easy-to-navigate; highly recommended


Protest.Net

•  Sponsored by a "collective of activists" who offer an alternative method to traditional media for publicizing events, Protest.Net is " ... a calendar of protests, meetings and conferences" and serves as an international directory for such events
•  "Front Door" accesses events by city (domestic and world-wide)
•  "Events by Issue" categorizes and links to 24 topics
•  Links to "Other Activist Calendars"
•  Welcomes posting events ("Add Events")
•  "Links to Progressive Sites" currently links to over 130 sites for a wide variety of causes and issues
•  "Highlights" provides information on "Activists Handbook," news, additional information about the site
•  This site's political perspective is "progressive"/liberal; it's extremely useful for locating up-to-date information on events and its multiple browsing capabilities make navigation of this site easy


Public Agenda Online (PAO)

•  "Public Agenda is a nonprofit public opinion research and citizen education organization" founded in 1975 by Daniel Yankelovich and Cyrus Vance, whose mission is to "help leaders better understand the public's point of view on major policy issues and "help citizens better understand critical policy issues so they can make their own more informed and thoughtful decisions"
•  "Maintains a nonpartisan balance in all of its work"; "elected officials from both political parties and experts and decision-makers across the political spectrum" praise PAO's "... credibility and fairness"
•  Funded by "foundations, professional associations, coalitions and corporations"
•  Provides "issue guides" which examine public policy and public opinion for 22 social, economic, healthcare, and civil-liberty issues
•  Each "issue guide" presents an overview, recent news, "Fact File" (graphs/statistics for sub-topics within the issue), polling data, "Sources and Resources" (links to organizations, studies, legislation and other public opinion organizations)
•  "E-mail Alert" includes alerts, quarterly newsletter and select downloadable reports (registration required but it's free)
•  For information about PAO's projects/initiatives, staff directory, other organizational information, browse the "Site Map"
•  Outstanding; does a superb job researching each issue from a public policy/public opinion viewpoint; especially valuable for its objectivity


Public Citizen (PC)

•  "Public Citizen is a national, non-profit consumer advocacy organization founded by Ralph Nader in 1971 to represent consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts"
•  Originally organized as a "watchdog" organization for product safety and consumer education issues, the focus of PC's attention has expanded to include the following: global trade, the environment, healthcare and accountability in government
•  Does not accept corporate or government funds
•  Heavily engaged in policy analysis and research, PC issues alerts, policy papers, in-depth reports and additional publications (currently over 500)
•  Free e-mail alerts
•  Includes information on membership, projects/initiatives, "hot issues", news, events
•  Most productive navigation is through the "Site Map"
•  One of the oldest, best and most comprehensive public-interest sites; constantly updated


State PIRGs Working Together

•  "The state Public Interest Research Groups are an alliance of state-based, citizen-funded organizations that advocate for the public interest"
•  Links to state PIRGS (currently 27); each state affiliate identifies its programs, as well as links to state government and state-based news
•  "Issues and Campaigns" links to 26 topics concerned with the environment, consumer issues, democracy (primarily campaign finance/election reform), higher education; most topics include form letters or instructions for contacting members of Congress
•  Heavy emphasis on activism/initiatives on the state level
•  Also includes information about membership, news, programs/initiatives
•  Best site for accessing information on state PIRGs


Think Tanks & Policy Centers

•  Maintained by the Lehman Social Sciences Library, Columbia University
•  Links to over 80 websites for many of the most prominent research institutes in the U.S.
•  “Some are strictly non-partisan, researching policy issues without regard to political outcomes, while others see one of their main functions as that of providing intellectual support to politicians or parties”
•  Areas of interest include government reform/oversight, politics, foreign relations, healthcare issues, international economics/globalization, environmental concerns, religion, other topics
•  Many of these sites “… have the full text of many of their publications available for downloading”
•  Links to “Other Lists of Think Tanks”
•  Also provides citations for a limited number of print resources in the Library
•  Complements “Think Tanks, Research Organizations and Advocacy Groups” (please see below)
•  Outstanding; this is a balanced representation of many of the premier policy research organizations in the U.S. from across the political spectrum; highly recommended


Virtual Activist: A Training Course

•  Sponsored by Tides Center/NetAction
•  This extensive "how-to-do-it" guide to online activism includes the following: "Using Email for Outreach, Organizing and Advocacy," "Web-based Advocacy and Outreach Tools," "Membership and Fundraising," "Privacy, Copyright, and Censorship"
•  Includes examples to illustrate procedures
•  "Online Media Advocacy Resources" and "Virtual Activist Reader" link to other guides, news services, related articles
•  Very well-organized; a step-by-step guide to maximizing Internet resources for advocacy and participation in civic issues


World Directory of Think Tanks

•  Maintained by the NIRA, the National Institute for Research Advancement (Japan)
•  Directory of “… the world’s most prominent and innovative public policy research institutes,” profiling almost 500 organizations from almost 100 countries
•  Browsable by country or organization name (in English)
•  Primary areas of concentration are economic policy/development, international relations, defense/security, science
•  Institute/organization profiles include the following: name/acronym, contact information (location, web address, e-mail address), status (type and founding date), “general description;” may also include annual budget, number of staff, executive officers
•  Profiles of institutes/organizations vary in their comprehensiveness
•  Outstanding; one of the best – if not the best - resources for information on many international policy institutes/organizations; highly recommended


Websites discussed on this page are for informational purposes only.  Johnson & Wales University Library is not responsible for the accuracy, content, or stability of any websites linked to this page.

Compiled by Rick Keogh 6/03; revised 5/08

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