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Young America's Foundation is a conservative youth organization, founded in 1969, with a focus on sharing conservative ideas with students through conferences, campus lectures, seminars, posters, and activism initiatives. It saved the Rancho del Cielo, the former residence of Ronald Reagan, and uses it to educate young people about the principles and ideas of President Reagan.

In July 2006, Young America's Foundation caused an uproar when its spokesman, Jason Mattera, who describes himself as, "the surprisingly fresh face of conservatism," denied access for the Progressive group CampusProgress, the student edition of the Center for American Progress, to cover their convention. Mattera wrote articles two years in a row about Campus Progress's conference for the national review.

When a staff member at the Daily Pennsylvanian at UPenn, Julie Siegel, requested credentials from YAF, Mattera responded:

"Our event is open to real members of the press. You will not receive press credentials. My advice for you is to watch it on C-SPAN. If you have a problem with that decision, you can complain to the Foundation’s media department spokesman. Oh wait…that’s…me. :)"

Mattera went onto say that the denial of access was due to group's liberal political position and that The Nation, the oldest progressive publication in the United States, would also be denied access on the same grounds.

In response, CampusProgress.org, and its affiliate, ThinkProgress.org, urged members and readers to contact Rich Lowry, who is on the board of Young America's Foundation's National Journalism Center and who also writes for National Review, asking if he supported Mattera's decision.

• Official website
• Young America’s Foundation Student Conference Bans Progressive Reporters

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