Censoring criticism of Bill Gates. Gosh, why does that happen? Is someone in cahoots to cover his ass?
Shock Report! "Fact Checkers" Remove Article Detailing Bill Gates' Funding of Fact Checkers
25 August 2020
Here is what RFK Jr. posted earlier today:
A Columbia Journalism Review exposé reveals that, to control global journalism, Bill Gates has steered over $250 million to the BBC, NPR, NBC, Al Jazeera, ProPublica, National Journal, The Guardian, The New York Times, Univision, Medium, the Financial Times, The Atlantic, the Texas Tribune, Gannett, Washington Monthly, Le Monde, Center for Investigative Reporting, Pulitzer Center, National Press Foundation, International Center for Journalists, and a host of other groups. To conceal his influence, Gates also funneled unknown sums via subgrants for contracts to other press outlets.
Gates also funds an army of independent fact checkers including the Poynter Institute and Gannett —which use their fact-checking platforms to “silence detractors” and to “debunk” as ‘false conspiracy theories’ and ‘misinformation,’”
.in 2015 Gates gave $383,000 to the Poynter Institute, a widely cited authority on journalism ethics (and an occasional partner of CJR’s), earmarking the funds “to improve the accuracy in worldwide media of claims related to global health and development.”
Poynter senior vice president Kelly McBride said Gates’s money was passed on to media fact-checking sites, including Africa Check, and noted that she is “absolutely confident” that no bias or blind spots emerged from the work, though she acknowledged that she has not reviewed it herself.
Africa Check says it went on to receive an additional $1.5 million from Gates in 2017 and 2019.
Gates Foundation directed $6.3 million to the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) to train journalists and fund reporting projects.
Twice in 2019, for example, Rosenberg’s columns exalted the World Mosquito Project, whose sponsor page lands on a picture of Bill Gates.
“We do disclose our relationship with SJN in every column, and SJN’s funders are listed on our website. But you are correct that when we write about projects that get Gates funding, we should specifically say that SJN receives Gates funding as well,” Rosenberg noted in an email. “Our policy going forward with the NY Times will be clearer and will ensure disclosures.”
Bill Gates has shown how seamlessly the most controversial industry captain can transform his public image from tech villain to benevolent philanthropist. Insofar as journalists are supposed to scrutinize wealth and power, Gates should probably be one of the most investigated people on earth—not the most admired.
https://bretigne.typepad.com/on_the_banks/2020/08/shock-report-fact-checkers-remove-article-detailing-bill-gates-funding-of-fact-checkers.html?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=cb7815ec-b186-4c22-b92f-548ed921fa16
https://www.cjr.org/criticism/gates-foundation-journalism-funding.php