In this episode: a well-connected liberal propaganda blog makes a hash of a hit job against a conservative philanthropic officer, teachers unions strike to preserve their education monopoly, and libertarians sue the government of Indiana and win a battle for property rights. Learn more about the organizations and influencers discussed in the show at InfluenceWatch.org. We also encourage you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or…

If you’ve ever been solicited on the street by clipboard-wielding activists asking you to donate to or support a group like the Southern Poverty Law Center, Greenpeace, or the Human Rights Campaign, you’ve probably run into representatives of the Public Interest Network, or PIN. But you won’t see the PIN logo on these street canvassers’ T-shirts. That’s because they’re contracted out to any number of left-wing organizations, giving the appearance…

The oldest and perhaps best-known part of the Public Interest Network are the Public Interest Research Groups, or “PIRGs.” The PIRGs grew out of the student activism of the 1960s…

While the PIRGs form the backbone of the Public Interest Network’s lobbying efforts, much of its canvassing is directed by the lesser-known Fund for the Public Interest (or “the Fund.”)…

While the size of the Public Interest Network gives the impression of containing dozens of sprawling, organic advocacy organizations located in nearly every state, PIN is really controlled by offices…