In an article that’s nearly 10 years old but more relevant
today than ever, The Seattle Times takes on the question of how grants to media
from the Gates Foundation may be steering the news that you get every day.
“The foundation’s grants to media organizations such as ABC
and The Guardian, one of Britain’s leading newspapers, raise obvious
conflict-of-interest questions: How can reporting be unbiased when a major
player holds the purse strings?” the Times asks.
Unfortunately for the reading public, grants aren’t the only
methods of funding Gates uses to “help” — aka, influence — the news. It also
funds training programs and think tanks for journalists, as well as published
research and articles in magazines and scientific journals.
SOURCE: The
Seattle Times February 2011