Now that she has left CBS News, Sharyl Attkisson is revealing all sorts of interesting facts about the way news is shaped by ideologues. Appearing on CNN’s Reliable Sources (transcript)

Attkisson: “Media Matters, as my understanding, is a far left blog group that I think holds itself out to be sort of an independent watchdog group. And yes, they clearly targeted me at some point. They used to work with me on stories and tried to help me produce my stories, and at some point” (emphasis added)

Well, well, well. So the Soros-funded group works with mainstream media journalists on stories, according to Attkisson, describing her own personal experience.  That’s wielding a lot more influence than merely blogging about the news, it is getting the left wing camel’s nose under the media tent, so to speak.

Kristinn Taylor of Gateway Pundit makes the excellent point that CBS has some explaining to do:

CBS News should disclose which reports by the network were done in collaboration with the Democratic Party front group Media Matters. Attkisson should also disclose on which stories she collaborated with Media Matters.

Evan McMurry of Mediaite ignored her revelation that Medias Matters actually gets inside the editorial process at CBS, and instead focused on her speculation that Media Matters may have been motivated by its financial backers:

In a detailed and thorough interview with Sharyl Attkisson, an investigative reporter who recently resigned from CBS News and has since accused the network of derailing her stories critical of the Obama administration, Reliable Sources hostBrian Stelter pressed Attkisson on charges that her reporting has been inaccurate and biased, charges she refuted. The most pointed responses came when Attkisson suggested Media Matters may have been encouraged to go after her by its contributors. (snip)

“It’s a far-left blog group that I think holds itself out to be sort of an independent media watchdog group,” Attkisson said. “They clearly targeted me at some point…When I persisted with Fast and Furious and some of the green energy stories I was doing, I clearly at some point became a target. I don’t know if someone paid them to do it or they just took it on their own.”

Stelter asked if she really thought it possible that Media Matters was paid off.

“Well, they get contributions,” Attkisson said. “That’s what some of these groups do, absolutely.”

In combination with the revelations on Politico carried by the Washington Post today, Attkisson’s explanation of Media Matters’ influence  provide more reasons to distrust the mainstream media.

Videos of her appearance below: