OT/Seattletimes: Does Gates Funding Media taint- Objectivity?

[Guest guest]

Better-known for its battles against global disease, the giant philanthropy has

also become a force in journalism.

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? ...

" Even if we were to satisfy ourselves that the Gates Foundation were utterly

benign, it would still be worrisome that they wield such enormous propaganda

power, " said Mark Crispin , professor of media, culture and communications

at New York University. ...

Some grants have indeed spelled out coverage topics, including male circumcision

to reduce transmission of AIDS, and clinical trials the latter of which are

crucial for Gates-supported vaccines and drugs being tested in the developing

world. ...

Another foundation grant, to California-based LinkTV, is explicit in its aim of

spreading good news. The satellite network got $2 million to create a digital

video library that spotlights progress in global development and health. Called

ViewChange, its target audience includes bloggers and journalists, as well as

nonprofits that can use the videos in their own advocacy campaigns, said general

manager Hanamura. ...

Gates gives money to policy magazines such as Health Affairs and Global Health

Magazine, and has funded scientific journals to publish articles on global

health. Scientists trained in a Gates-funded program to " engage policy makers,

thought leaders, the media and the public " brief lawmakers and write op-ed

pieces that appear in newspapers and on news sites....

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014280379_gatesmedia.html