LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – An unsolicited publication resembling a newspaper is showing up in Michigan mailboxes.
A misleading headline.
The Michigan Independent’s most recent issue includes articles favorable to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson and Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. In addition, the print edition includes an incorrect headline identifying El-Sayed as a “veteran.”
Reporter Alyssa Burr, who wrote the article, told Michigan News Source, “I was not involved in producing the incorrect headline. The article itself does not say El-Sayed is a veteran.”
The online version of the article does not contain the incorrect headline. The Michigan Independent has since added an editor’s note acknowledging that a misplaced comma in the print headline incorrectly suggested El-Sayed is a veteran.
American Independent Foundation President Joe Conason told the Washington Free Beacon that the headline was intended to describe El-Sayed as a “veteran doctor and public health official.” El-Sayed has not served in the military.
What’s up, doc?
However, the article describes El-Sayed as a “doctor” which can be construed as misleading. El-Sayed earned a medical degree from Columbia University but has never been licensed to practice medicine in Michigan or New York, according to previous reporting.
El-Sayed’s use of medical terminology on the campaign trail came under scrutiny in June when the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) filed a complaint with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The watchdog group asked the Bureau of Professional Licensing to investigate whether El-Sayed’s use of terms such as “physician” could mislead the public into believing he is licensed to practice medicine.
Follow the money.
The mailer lists a return address for the American Independent Foundation (AIF). InfluenceWatch, a project of the Capital Research Center, describes AIF as a left-of-center nonprofit that supports journalism and has ties to a network of organizations associated with liberal activist and Media Matters for America founder David Brock.
AIF has also received funding from George Soros’s philanthropic network. The Foundation to Promote Open Society awarded the American Independent Foundation $500,000 in 2022, according to Open Society Foundations grant records.
