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Jane Mayer’s piece in The New Yorker this week is yet another New Yorker snorefest, using a dozen words where two would suffice. It’s almost impossible to get through the whole thing, but if you do, you’ll have a picture of Charles and David Koch which is rather inaccurate, but which will be waved about by those on the left in an incredibly hypocritical fashion.
The actual giving by Charles and David Koch is matched and exceeded by the giving of billionaires on the left. Mayer says the numbers can’t be calculated, but what we can calculate shows the threads of funding from Tim Gill and George Soros and a number of other mega-wealthy leftists is even more widespread and sizable than the Kochs. Mayer even quotes the Center for Public Integrity in her article without disclosing that Soros funds the group, probably by accident, since he funds so many.
Mayer does acknowledge that the Kochs are generous philanthropists who give to a wide variety of art and cultural projects, and particularly to health research. They’ve given more to cancer research than almost any single other goal. And yes, they’ve certainly funded a great deal of organizations consistent with their libertarian philosophy. At least Koch funded projects are a lot more upfront about it than many of Soros’s recipients — see the recent lies about Soros funding from Jim Wallis. And that’s one of the reasons this silly, overlong article is being written in the first place.
In any case, the interesting story which Mayer leaves untold is how much the Kochs have had an impact on the way center-right donors give. This is a far more interesting story than their personal donations. But The New Yorker prefers a Tea Party-sized box to place them in.
Update: The Kochs have put out an official response. Several of the facts in here really should’ve been shoehorned into that 12-page spread, but what were you going to cut?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
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Propagandists funded from the right – does not make it right.
Yep, just a bunch of propaganda — medical research, cultural arts, philanthropy, international charity, respected academic programs. Still confused what their propagandistic aims are with that whole $150 Million to MIT, but I'll figure it out.
Twelve pages of sniveling about the wealth of Koch Industries and its owners is an assault on the environment. Is this what passes for journalism these days?
The Center for Public Integrity is not a left-wing group. We are a
nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on investigative journalism.
The Center does receive funding from Soros' Open Society Institute, but OSI
is but one of dozens of foundations and individuals who have supported
the Center's work over the last 20 years, including the Annenberg
Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation and the Ford Foundation. You can
find a full list of our current funders here:
http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/our_work/f…
The Center makes it explicitly clear to all our supporters that they
cannot exert any influence whatsoever over the editorial content of our
stories. Our work speaks for itself. Over the past two years, Center
stories have been honored by the Overseas Press Club, Sigma Delta Chi,
the National Press Club and Investigative Reporters and Editors, among
others.
Randy Barrett
Communications Director
Center for Public Integrity
The Center for Public Integrity is not a left-wing group. We are a
nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on investigative journalism.
The Center does receive funding from Soros' Open Society Institute, but OSI
is but one of dozens of foundations and individuals who have supported
the Center's work over the last 20 years, including the Annenberg
Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation and the Ford Foundation. You can
find a full list of our current funders here:
http://www.publicintegrity.org/about/our_work/f…
The Center makes it explicitly clear to all our supporters that they
cannot exert any influence whatsoever over the editorial content of our
stories. Our work speaks for itself. Over the past two years, Center
stories have been honored by the Overseas Press Club, Sigma Delta Chi,
the National Press Club and Investigative Reporters and Editors, among
others.
Randy Barrett
Communications Director
Center for Public Integrity
Koch Industries submitted extensive facts and background information to the magazine for this article, but this did not change the publication’s negative, unbalanced tone and agenda. The story dredges up issues resolved long ago and mischaracterizes our business philosophy and principles, our practices and performance record, and the education efforts and policies we support. Accurate information on many of the issues from this and other recent media and Internet discussion items can be found at http://bit.ly/kochfactcheck
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