Letter to the Editor

from Neil Miller

Last night, I posted on FB information that Robert Kennedy Jr. had written on Instagram summarizing an article about Bill Gates, how his organization paid more than $250 million to control global journalism and fact-checkers.

My post was shared more than 1000 times and was still climbing. This morning, FB “fact-checkers” removed my post saying it was a potential threat to health. Apparently, investigating Bill Gates and/or exposing the “fact-checkers” is not allowed. Here is what I posted (along with a picture of Bill Gates and another of RFK Jr.)”:

According to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an investigative report by Columbia Journalism Review has revealed that Bill Gates controls the media and so-called “independent fact-checkers” through multi-million dollar grants and subgrants. 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.

His press bribes have paid off. During the pandemic, bought & brain-dead news outlets have treated Bill Gates as a public health expert—despite his lack of medical training or regulatory experience.

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,’” charges that Gates has championed and invested in biometric chips, vaccine IDS, satellite surveillance, and Covid vaccines.”

Gates media gifts, says CJR author Tim Schwab, mean that “critical reporting about the Gates Foundation is rare.” The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation declined multiple interview requests from CJR and refused to disclose how much money it has funneled to journalists.

The article referred to appeared in the Columbia Journalism Review, can be found here, and is well worth reading in its entirety. On fact-checking specifically:

“…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. ”

I found sixteen examples of Africa Check examining media claims related to Gates. This body of work overwhelmingly seems to support or defend Bill and Melinda Gates and their foundation, which has spent billions of dollars on development efforts in Africa. The only example I found of Africa Check even remotely challenging its patron was when a foundation employee tweeted an incorrect statistic—that a child dies of malaria every 60 seconds, instead of every 108.

Africa Check says it went on to receive an additional $1.5 million from Gates in 2017 and 2019.

“Our funders or supporters have no influence over the claims we fact-check…and the conclusions we reach in our reports,” said Noko Makgato, executive director of Africa Check, in a statement to CJR.

“With all fact-checks involving our funders, we include a disclosure note to inform the reader.”