Gates Funds Guardian News Site, Which Then Profiles Melinda Gates?
I don’t know who made the call to do this, the Guardian newspaper or the Gates Foundation. But I don’t think it was a good call — to do this somewhat gushing story on Melinda Gates. Earlier this week, the British newspaper and the Seattle philanthropy announced they had partnered to create a new online news site at the Guardian devoted to global development. The arrangement is a bit awkward since the Gates Foundation is also one of the biggest players in global development. But it’s also not that unique anymore, as media organizations struggle to survive financially, for organizations — including philanthropies or advocacy groups — to fund coverage of targeted areas of interest. And, really, how could it be any more awkward than some of the more traditional conflicts-of-interest in the so-called mainstream media? (FOX TV news comes to mind …) But still, I think this looks bad. Not Melinda, of course. She comes off looking great, and I’m fine with that. And I understand the desire of bo
