Angelo Carusone (born May 16, 1982) is an American author and media advocate. He is the president of Media Matters for America, a nonprofit media watchdog. Carusone has also led political and progressive initiatives such as Dump Trump and StopBeck campaigns.
Early life and education
Carusone was born on May 16, 1982. His father was a sewer and drain cleaner while his mother was a part-time lunch lady.[1]
Carusone completed his BA diploma in American Studies at Fordham University in 2000. He finished a degree in Philosophy at the same university in 2004. In 2010, he obtained his Juris Doctor diploma from the University of Wisconsin Law School.[1]
Career
Carusone gained attention in American politics for his initiatives that target right-wing personalities who he considers "bullies".[2] These activities, which he calls "brand safety", include similar that helped drive advertisers away from the shows of Glenn Beck,[2] who eventually lost his Fox News show, and Rush Limbaugh. He is also said to have played a role in hastening the departure of Bill O'Reilly from Fox.[1]
In 2012, Carusone also initiated the Dump Trump campaign. This initiative called on retailers to discontinue selling Trump-branded products. Trump threatened him with a $25 million lawsuit.[2]
In 2016, Carusone served as the Deputy CEO of the Finance and Administration of the Democratic National Convention. In December of the same year, he was promoted president of Media Matters, having previously served as its executive vice president. He succeeded the organization’s founder David Brock.[3] When he assumed the position, he stated that Media Matters would shift the focus of its scrutiny from the conservative media to "alt-right" websites, alleged "fake news", and "misinformation".[4] He has unmasked, for example, US news outlets that are associated with Falun Gong, a Chinese new religious movement.[5]
Carusone has been critical of Elon Musk's 2022 takeover of Twitter. Carusone alleges Musk will allow the social media platform to become a source of hate speech, instead of reasonable controls on information. Carusone has called on major advertisers to pull funding from Twitter if Musk continues with his supposed planned "radicalization".[6][7][8][9]
Personal life
Carusone is gay and married to Brett Abrams. He lives on Long Island, New York.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Malloy, Daniel (May 15, 2017). "The Liberal Watchdog Taking On Fake News". Ozy Media. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- 1 2 3 Grindley, Lucas (December 10, 2015). "The Man Behind 'Dump Trump' on Why Everyone Should Fight Back". The Advocate. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ↑ Gold, Hadas (December 6, 2016). "Media Matters to pivot away from focus on Fox News, as it names new president". Politico. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ↑ Grinapol, Corinne. "Media Matters Names Angelo Carusone its New President". AdWeek. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ↑ Wilson, Jason (April 30, 2021). "Falun Gong-aligned media push fake news about Democrats and Chinese communists". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ↑ Klar, Rebecca; Kagubare, Ines (October 27, 2022). "Hillicon Valley — Questions loom over Musk's Twitter deal". The Hill. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Elon Musk agrees to $44B acquisition of Twitter in hopes of averting trial". WPRI.com. October 4, 2022. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ↑ Bond, Shannon (October 7, 2022). "Here's what Elon Musk will likely do with Twitter if he buys it". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ↑ Klar, Rebecca (October 9, 2022). "Critics sound alarm over 'Twitter troll' Elon Musk's company takeover". The Hill. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.