People For the American Way, or PFAW (/'pfɑː/), is a
progressive advocacy group in the United States.[4] Organized as a
501(c)(4) non-profit organization, PFAW was registered in 1981 by the television producer
Norman Lear,[5] a self-described
liberal[6] who founded the organization in 1980 to challenge the
Christian right agenda of the
Moral Majority.
Soon after its founding, PFAW launched an affiliated
501(c)(3) organization,
People for the American Way Foundation, for the purpose of conducting more extensive educational and research activities for liberal causes.[15] Later, the People for the American Way Voters Alliance was launched as a
political action committee.[16]
Activities
PFAW was responsible for the 1982 television special I Love Liberty, which was described by the Washington Post as "America's first left-wing patriotic rally."[17] PFAW has also been active in battles over judicial nominations, opposing U.S. Supreme Court nominees
Robert Bork and
Brett Kavanaugh and supporting the nomination of
Sonia Sotomayor.[5][18] PFAW is also active in federal elections, donating $339,874 to oppose Republican candidates in the 2014 election cycle[19] and $351,075 to oppose Republican candidates in the 2016 election cycle.[20]
Right Wing Watch
PFAW's Right Wing Watch project is a website that catalogs statements of public figures whom they label as right-wing, including politicians, preachers, and others, with a focus on
hate speech and right-wing
conspiracy theories.[21][22] The web site was founded in 2007, expanding on PFAW's earlier practice of
VHS recording clips from television programs such as
Pat Robertson's 700 Club, for distribution to news media.[23] In 2013, evangelist and politician
Gordon Klingenschmitt sent
DMCA takedown notices to
YouTube against Right Wing Watch's channel based on copyright claims. The
Electronic Frontier Foundation provided legal counsel to Right Wing Watch to defend their channel and posts against YouTube's actions.[24]
In 2014,
HGTV withdrew from plans to produce a television series with
Jason and David Benham after Right Wing Watch made an issue of their statements about homosexuality.[25][26]
In June 2021, Right Wing Watch's YouTube channel, which had been operating for about 10 years, was temporarily suspended by YouTube, who stated that the suspension had been an accident.[21][22] At the time, the channel had about 47,000 subscribers.[21]
^Reeves, Richard (May 13, 2009).
"What is the American Way of Life?". Real Clear Politics.
Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015. - Djupe, Paul; Olson, Laura (2014). Encyclopedia of American Religion and Politics. Infobase Publishing. p. 287.
ISBN9781438130200.
^"History". Tides.
Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015. See also, Hewat, N. Campaigning for Educational Policy Reform: An Ecological Analysis of a 'People for the American Way' Grassroots Organizing Phenomenon, doctoral dissertation, University at Albany, State University of New York, 1986.
^Corbett, Erin (September 2, 2018).
"Neo-Nazi Group Targets Florida Democrat Andrew Gillum In Racist Calls". Fortune.
Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021. Earlier this year, the podcast sponsored robocalls supporting failed California Senate candidate, white nationalist Patrick Little, according to Right Wing Watch.