Dan Gainor: Why Don't we hear about Soros' Ties to Over 30 Major News Organizations? 4d

When liberal investor George Soros gave $1.8 million to National Public Radio, it became part of the firestorm of controversy that jeopardized NPR's federal funding, but that gift only hints at the widespread influence the controversial billionaire has on the mainstream media. Soros, who spent $27 million trying to defeat President Bush in 2004, has ties to more than 30 mainstream news outlets, including The New York Times, Washington Post,the Associated Press, NBC and ABC. Prominent journalists like ABC's Christiane Amanpour and former Washington Post editor, and now Vice President Len Downie serve on boards of operations that take Soros cash. This despite the Society of Professional Journalists' ethical code, stating: "avoid all conflicts, real or perceived." This information is part of an upcoming report by the Media Research Centers Business & Media Institute, which has been looking into George Soros and his influence on the media. The investigative reporting start-up ProPublica, which recently won its second Pulitzer Prize, initially was given millions of dollars from the Sandler Foundation to "strengthen the progressive infrastructure" - "progressive" being the code word for very liberal.