Puppet Masters Part 2: Who [Really] Controls The News?

NewsTrust Communications Partners List

You can read Part 1 of the Puppet Masters: Who [Really] Controls The News? series titled Weaponizing Philanthropy... Also Known As Impact Investing here.

In this part of the series, I provide an overview of the organizations who partnered with NewsTrust Communications. We will start exploring this tangled web.

Let’s begin…

Background

While not technically part of the Omidyar Syndicate, NewsTrust was an important part of it. Why?

For one, the partner list was very small compared to the other organizations. This was where I started to see the spider webbed network for what it was. It was easier to track grants for a small list and find the correlations rather than a larger one. However, in Puppet Masters Part 5, I ended up doing just that.

Secondly, NewsTrust was connected to the Poynter Institute. You will see this name and what it represents repeated throughout this research.

Thirdly, the names of the foundations who gave grants. These foundations appeared everywhere in the Omidyar Syndicate.

I later focused in on one, the MacArthur Foundation, as a test case to see if their donations were in line with some of Omidyar Network's philanthropic donations. The MacArthur Foundation awarded NewsTrust Communications a grant in 2008 which was worth $500,000.

The final reason is because NewsTrust was one of the early media organizations we see the Omidyar Syndicate take an interest in. In 2010, a grant was awarded to NewsTrust from the Omidyar Network which was worth $100,000.

From NewsTrust's archived website:

NewsTrust helps people find and share good journalism online, so they can make more informed decisions as citizens.

NewsTrust.net provides a wide range of tools that enable users to separate fact from fiction on important public issues. We promote good journalism, news literacy and civic engagement.

NewsTrust.net is part of the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit journalism training organization based in Florida.

NewsTrust partners over the years have included leading media organizations like USA Today, PBS, Huffington Post, PolitiFact, Link TV and the Washington Post, to name but a few. The site has been widely used by journalism teachers and students across the United States in schools like Stanford University, Northeastern, Stony Brook, University of Nevada, San Francisco State University and the University of Santa Clara.

Based in Mill Valley, California, NewsTrust was a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) public benefit corporation from 2008 to 2012. Funders included the MacArthur Foundation the Omidyar Network, Open Society Foundations, Ashoka, the Sunlight Foundation, the Mitch Kapor Foundation, the Ayrshire Foundation and the Tides Foundation, as well as Craig Newmark, Doug Carlston, Hap Perry, Terry Gamble and many other private donors.

In May 2012, NewsTrust.net was acquired by the Poynter Institute, a non-profit journalism training organization. To learn more about Poynter’s news and media literacy programs visit News University, Poynter’s e-learning site.

What is the Poynter Institute?

From the Poynter Institute’s website:

Founded in 1975, Poynter is an inspirational place but also a practical one, connecting the varied crafts of journalism to its higher mission and purpose. From person-to-person coaching and intensive hands-on seminars to interactive online courses and media reporting, Poynter helps journalists sharpen skills and elevate storytelling throughout their careers.

We bring together Poynter faculty and industry experts to explore the intersection of journalism, technology and the public interest. Poynter specializes in:

• Ethics and fact-checking

• Reporting and storytelling

• Developing journalism’s leaders

• Advancing newsroom diversity

• Strengthening local news companies

NewsTrust Partners

The foundations who partnered with them include:

• Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

• Ayrshire Foundation

• MacArthur Foundation

• Omidyar Network

• Open Society Foundations

• Sunlight Foundation

• Tides Foundation

Their media partners include:

• Council on Foreign Relations

• Doonesbury.com

• Global Voices

• Huffington Post

• InstaPundit

• Link TV

• MediaBugs

• Miller-McCune

• Mother Jones

• New America Media

• NewsHour

• P.O.V.

• PBS Engage

• PolitiFact

• Poynter Institute

• Regret The Error

• Scientific American

• Tavis Smiley Show

• The Long Now Foundation

• USA Today

• Washington Post

• WhoRunsGov.com

• Worldfocus

Their educational partners include:

• Arizona State University

• International High School

• Iowa State University

• Northeastern University

• San Francisco State University

• Santa Clara University

• Science Leadership Academy

• Stanford University

• Stony Brook University

• University of Nevada

Their budget and widget partners include:

• Agence France-Presse (AFP)

• Alternet

• Constant Observer

• Daily Bellwether

• Frontline

• Media is a Plural

• New England News

• News Literacy Project

• Ohio Daily Blog

• Skewz

• Slate

• Stone Soup Station

• Writes Like She Talks

• Yahoo News

Their donors include:

• Craig Newmark

• Doug Carlston

• Fabrice Florin

• Google, Inc.

• Hap Perry

• Mitch Kapor