A press regulator boss has urged journalists to be wary of claims made by ‘dark money’ think tanks after openDemocracy found that many opaque bodies are more influential than their transparent counterparts.

The third annual Who Funds You? report, which was published by this website today, also revealed that UK think tanks have raised more than £101m to influence public policy in the run-up to the next general election.

The report assessed how transparent think tanks’ financial disclosures were over the past year, grading them on a scale from A to E based on how much they publish about their funders.

Those that received the lowest grades, D and E, are often described as being ‘dark money’-funded because so little is declared about who finances them and how they are managed.

For the first time openDemocracy also assigned each think tank an influence rating, using data from political monitoring service PolicyMogul.com and other social media analysis tools to identify which have the most sway with both UK lawmakers and the public.

We found that the most influential dark money-funded think tanks have received thousands of pounds from foreign donors specifically to reach the UK public through social media channels.

The boss of independent press regulator Impress urged journalists to exercise caution when reporting on claims made by these opaque think tanks, even when their ideas appear to have public support.

Impress CEO Lexie Kirkconnell-Kawana said: “This latest research from openDemocracy underscores the need for journalists and publishers to ensure they accurately report on the facts regarding think tank funding and financial interests.”

The report recommends that those in the media help their audiences to understand that opaquely funded think tanks, which vocally advocate for public policy changes, can go to great lengths to avoid revealing their funders.

It also warns that uncritically accepting claims made by such think tanks poses a reputational risk to a media organisation, as their research can turn out to be inaccurate or misleading.

Kirkconnell-Kawana added: “Taking the additional steps proposed in the report is likely to ensure accuracy, promote journalism ethics, and ensure the public always get the full picture when using think tanks in their reporting.”

The Who Funds You? report also urges the UK government to tighten lobbying rules to force all think tanks to declare their funders when interacting with politicians.

The UK’s most influential think tank is the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which was mentioned by parliamentarians more frequently than any other. It earned a B-grade for transparency.

Other influential and transparent think tanks include the Resolution Foundation and Institute for Public Policy and Research (IPPR). Both were A-rated for transparency.

The most influential dark money think tank is named in the report as the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA). The IEA transparency rating improved from an E to a D this year after it began naming some of its funders.

Other highly influential but ‘shady’ think tanks include a number on the right of the political spectrum, including E-rated Migration Watch, The D-rated Centre for Policy Studies and the E-rated TaxPayers’ Alliance.

The report shows that these bodies, whilst nominally independent, tend to have links to Conservative Party politicians, and some may share donors and directors with each other.

Writing in openDemocracy today, former Liberal Democrat MP and CEO of A-rated think tank Unlock Democracy, Tom Brake, says: “The IEA, Policy Exchange, the TaxPayers’ Alliance and others have declined to take voluntary action to reveal their sponsors.

“It is time for the government to step in and require think tanks to be more transparent, declare funders contributing over £5,000 a year and consider whether think tanks should register as consultant lobbyists.”

Deidre Brock, the SNP MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, said: “The latest openDemocracy report again provides an essential, though troubling, assessment of the level of financial transparency among the UK’s most high-profile think tanks.

“It also makes a number of vital recommendations, including a proposal for think tanks to register as lobbyists if they receive more than a set amount from a single source.

“While some bodies have improved their transparency rating since last year, the overall picture only deepens concerns about the shady influence of these opaquely funded bodies on government policy.

“If we don’t know who funds them, how on earth can we be sure whose interests they’re really serving or why they’re promoting particular policies?”

The full report is available at opendemocracy.net/who-funds-you/