posted on August 5, 2005 04:40:29 PM new
I've mentioned several times that there is tons of biased reporting in the NYT.
But now...it's been four days since this information was made public.....and the the NYT hasn't mentioned a word about Air America's involvement in this 'mis-management' of funds.
gee...wonder why. Because it's an organization the NYT supports....don't want to make the public aware of anything the democratic side does....no....only focus on what they can use against the conservatives.
Charity 'Loans' to Air America Founder Investigated
By Jeff Johnson
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
August 05, 2005
(CNSNews.com) -
Investigators for the city of New York are scrutinizing loans and transfers totaling more than $800,000 that went from the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club charity in the city to the liberal Air America Radio network and one of its founders.
The company that now owns Air America blames the Boys & Girls Club charity for alleged "mismanagement and corruption," but has still agreed to reimburse the organization.
Evan Cohen was supposed to be raising $30 million to finance the Air America start-up in March 2004, at the same time he was serving as the director of development for the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club (GWBGC) in the Bronx, N.Y.
While Cohen held the simultaneous positions, he allegedly solicited and received $167,000 in loans from GWBGC for Air America and $70,000 in personal loans for claimed medical expenses. GWBGC officials also accuse Cohen of issuing Air America a $213,000 GWBGC check and a $400,000 wire transfer without their approval.
Cohen could not be located for comment on the allegations.
In an undated statement posted on its website, Air America blames the fundraising scandal on "mismanagement and corruption at Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club," and absolves itself of any responsibility for the alleged improprieties.
"The company that the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club officials gave money to, Progress Media, has been defunct since May 2004," the Air America statement explained. "The current owners of Air America Radio have no obligation to Progress Media's business activities."
The original investors in Air America, except for Cohen, created a new corporation, Piquant, LLC. That company then acquired the network from the original owner. Air America's statement continues to explain that, for fear of its reputation being harmed, the network will repay the money.
"We are very disturbed that Air America Radio's good name could be associated with a reduction in services for young people," the statement adds, "which is why we agreed months ago to fully compensate the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club as a result of this transaction."
Martta Rose, spokeswoman for the GWBGC, told Cybercast News Service that the radio network has always agreed that it would reimburse the charity, but that the terms had only recently been "hammered out."
"The money will be paid back within two years," Rose said. "The first payment will be in September." Rose acknowledged that it is "not usual" for non-profit charities to loan money to for-profit business entities.
On June 24, the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) announced that it was terminating all contracts with GWBGC and its subsidiaries.
"[These] determinations were based on an on-going investigation by the New York City Department of Investigation concerning allegations that, among other things, officials of Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club approved significant inappropriate transactions and falsified documents that were submitted to various City agencies," the announcement stated.
Rose said that some of GWBGC's programs are continuing with alternative sources of funding. "We hope to continue those as well as become fully operational in the near future," Rose said. She could not speculate as to how long the city's investigation might last.
"We are cooperating fully with the city," Rose added, "with the DOI and other city agencies."
A spokesman for the DOI would not comment on or answer questions about any aspect of the ongoing investigation.
According to its website, the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club "has been helping youth from tough Bronx neighborhoods stay out of trouble, stay in school and succeed in life," since 1977. The charity states that it serves "nearly 15,000 young people each year at 32 locations (elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, public housing facilities and community centers) in the Bronx."
Financial records filed with the Internal Revenue Service for the 2003 tax year show that GWBGC received nearly $530,000 in private contributions and more than $ 3.7 million in taxpayer funding.
The organization also received $461,000 in "donated services and use of facilities."
"Whenever the nation is under attack, from within or without, liberals side with the enemy. This is their essence." --Ann Coulter
And why the American Voters chose to RE-elect President Bush to four more years. YES!!!
posted on August 5, 2005 04:46:33 PM new
I take that back....it's been a week according to 'Timeswatch".
Air America Update: Day 4
A full week after the story broke, and four days after the New York Sun touted it, the New York Times has yet to touch the financial scandal at Air America involving $800,000 lent to the left-wing radio station by a Bronx youth group.
The Times preferred mode when dealing with AA is cheerleading and touting host Al Franken as a Senate candidate ("Comedian for Senator? Don't Laugh".
Arizona Republic columnist Doug MacEachern wonders where the mainstream media (and the Times in particular) has been on the story.
posted on August 5, 2005 06:59:12 PM new
Let me see if I get this right... A very questionable "loan was given to a former owner of Air America. Subsequent to that Air America was sold and in the interest of what would seem to be avoidingnegative publicity not to mention that part of the assets that were aquired in the sale were probably paid for with the original questionable loan, the current owners of Air America have decided to repay the loan. I guess I fail to see where the current owners are involved in the questionable activities. they seem to be the ones trying to make right. Are you upset that the NYT is not given them adequate credit for doing the honorable thing?
If you want to complain about the NYT your don't need to go grasping at this straw Linda. Personally I think that them trying to look into the adoption records of Roberts children is adequately deplorable for their weekly stringing up. Hell I think that even the ultra liberals would say that that one is taking a huge leap over the bounds of decency.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
No, I'm saying -- I'm merely -- I'm saying what I'm saying. I don't know why I'm always having people say, are you trying to say -- you know what you can do if you want to know what I'm saying is listen to what I'm saying. What I'm saying is what I said ...
posted on August 5, 2005 07:03:51 PM new
""Personally I think that them trying to look into the adoption records of Roberts children is adequately deplorable ""
Wasn't it John McCain that the Repugs went after...talking about his black "love child " that he and his wife adopted?
posted on August 5, 2005 07:06:27 PM new
I don't care who you are - trying to pull children into political debates is just wrong.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
No, I'm saying -- I'm merely -- I'm saying what I'm saying. I don't know why I'm always having people say, are you trying to say -- you know what you can do if you want to know what I'm saying is listen to what I'm saying. What I'm saying is what I said ...
posted on August 5, 2005 07:17:35 PM new
fenix - Well I will agree with you on Robert's childrens adoption....their actions were absolutely despicable....but they quickly backed off that because others were quick to point it out to them.
But on the NYT and other liberal MSM not even mentioning that an investigation is ongoing......nope....that's doing what they do....ignoring anything until they are forced to deal with it. And then they'll only mention it....as they did when Berger 'lifted' those documents in his PANTS yet. Had a republican done that.....we would have seen the same reaction and daily, three week mention of it in their papers like we did about ol' dan, ratherbiased, when he was smearing President Bush with FALSE documents....unverified....didn't even bother to check out the source....just took his word for it.
Yea....that's REAL reporting.
"Whenever the nation is under attack, from within or without, liberals side with the enemy. This is their essence." --Ann Coulter
And why the American Voters chose to RE-elect President Bush to four more years. YES!!!
[ edited by Linda_K on Aug 5, 2005 07:20 PM ]
posted on August 5, 2005 07:26:17 PM new
I'm serious....to anyone who thinks the NYT doesn't practice very biased report....just spend a day or so reading this site.
They give, what I consider very fair evaluations on how the NYT reports the news....with their own slant.
They provide what's left out of stories they print....information that most times changes the picture they've tried to give their readers....etc.
Just be as open-minded as you profess to be and read it on and off for a week. You'll see for yourselves.
posted on August 5, 2005 08:35:39 PM new
But for you left wing hypocrites if it were a Republican based program it would be a major scandal.
Air America and the race hustlers
Michelle Malkin (archive)
Where are they? Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are the supermen of the civil rights establishment -- able to leap tall buildings in a single bound to get in front of a picket line. When victim politics calls, the demagogic duo leap into patented action: March. Boycott. Shakedown. Repeat.
But the raging reverends are nowhere to be found as a scandal involving the liberal radio network Air America and a Bronx, N.Y.-based inner city charity for poor children brews. Why the silence?
It's all about the Benjamins, as they say.
First, a summary of the financial fiasco that the liberal media won't touch: The New York City Department of Investigation has been probing allegations that officials of the nonprofit Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club and one of its affiliates, Pathways for Youth, approved "significant inappropriate transactions and falsified documents that were submitted to various city agencies." The charities receive large portions of their budgets from local, state and federal government grants. At the center of the controversy is Evan Montvel Cohen, the disgraced former chairman of Air America, who was in charge of the liberal radio network at the same time he was serving as Gloria Wise's director of development.
The New York Sun's David Lombino reported this week that Cohen received more than $800,000 in loans for himself and Air America during his tenure, according to Gloria Wise executive committee President Jeannette Graves. Graves alleges that Cohen funneled $613,000 to himself and Air America without her authorization or knowledge. Other loans were approved by the Gloria Wise executive committee when Cohen claimed he needed money to cover medical expenses for himself and his father. As a result of an ongoing investigation, the city canceled its contracts with both Gloria Wise and Pathways in June -- causing a near-shutdown of services to poor minority kids, Alzheimer's patients, and other underprivileged clients until other nonprofit agencies were brought in to take over the old management.
Air America's ever-evolving statements about the controversy have raised more questions than they've answered. After radio industry blogger Brian Maloney (radioequalizer.blogspot.com) called attention to the probe last week, the liberal radio network initially shrugged off corporate responsibility by asserting that its current management, Piquant LLC, "had no involvement whatsoever" with the funds and was "not being investigated." A follow-up statement then revealed that Air America "agreed months ago to fully compensate" Gloria Wise for the loan (despite having "no involvement" with it). Yesterday, Air America host Al Franken acknowledged that Piquant had conducted an internal probe of the matter before the city got involved -- and, according to the city, failed to tell authorities about it.
If a conservative radio network had been entangled in a scam to steal from black children to line the pockets of wealthy white con artists, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would already be staging hunger strikes in protest. But both have hefty political and financial stakes in Air America's success -- and the big mouths aren't about to badmouth their friends.
Air America's flagship New York City station is housed on Park Avenue at WLIB-AM, owned by Inner City Broadcasting. The company shunted aside its black-themed talk format at WLIB to accommodate Air America. In return, Air America made room for a few minority radio hosts and also entered into lucrative lease management agreements with Inner City Broadcasting, which owns and operates 17 radio stations in five markets.
The co-founder of Inner City Broadcasting is New York media mogul Percy Sutton, best known as Malcolm X's lawyer and former Manhattan borough council president. Sutton helped bail Sharpton out after Sharpton was ordered to pay former Dutchess County prosecutor Steven Pagones over the Tawana Brawley race hoax. Sutton also raised and donated money for Sharpton's 2004 presidential bid. Sharpton still broadcasts a Sunday radio show on WLIB. Sutton and Jackson are longtime friends and partners. Sutton served as Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign finance chairman. Jackson has lobbied on Sutton's behalf. Sutton sits on Jackson's Citizenship Education Fund. As original investors, Jackson and his wife reportedly hold more than 23,000 shares in Inner City Broadcasting.
Now you know why there will be no boycotts at Air America headquarters over the possible bilking of poor Bronx children. Race hustlers care about only one color: green.
"Why, it appears that we appointed all of our worst generals to command the armies and we appointed all of our best generals to edit the newspapers. I mean, I found by reading a newspaper that these editor generals saw all of the defects plainly from the start but didn't tell me until it was too late. I'm willing to yield my place to these best generals and I'll do my best for the cause by editing a newspaper." --Robert E. Lee
posted on August 6, 2005 09:44:00 AM new
OK so now we have both Linda and Bear on the case - maybe one of you can tell me why the new ownerrs of Air America are responsible for the actions of the former owners.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
No, I'm saying -- I'm merely -- I'm saying what I'm saying. I don't know why I'm always having people say, are you trying to say -- you know what you can do if you want to know what I'm saying is listen to what I'm saying. What I'm saying is what I said ...
posted on August 6, 2005 10:12:47 AM newnope....that's doing what they do....ignoring anything until they are forced to deal with it. And then they'll only mention it....
Similar to the Karl Rove scandal...denying everything until they are forced to deal with it. And then they shut up because an investigation is going on or is it Bush makes an annoucement of his appointment of Roberts to the USSC in order to avoid the Rove scandal.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
----------------------------------
President George Bush: "Over time the truth will come out."
President George Bush: "Our people are going to find out the truth, and the truth will say that this intelligence was good intelligence. There's no doubt in my mind."
Bush was right. The truth did come out and the facts are he misled Congress and the American people about the reasons we should go to war in Iraq.
posted on August 6, 2005 10:49:41 AM new
ANOTHER CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST PAY-OFF
By Michelle Malkin · April 08, 2005 03:00 PM
If you've actually read my work, unlike, say, the entire Left side of the blogosphere, you know how hard I came down on the Armstrong Williams/Maggie Gallagher controversies. Government subsidies for conservative columnists are as odious as government subsidies for crucifix-defiling "artists."
Now, comes word of yet another right-leaning columnist getting paid to flack for a Republican administration's policies:
BOSTON (AP) - A columnist for the Boston Herald has been awarded a contract worth up to $10,000 from the administration of Gov. Mitt Romney to promote the governor's environmental policies.
Charles D. Chieppo began working with the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs on Thursday. The contract calls for him to assist agency officials in writing op-ed pieces and internal documents.
Chieppo writes a general weekly column for the Herald, where he is paid per article. He told The Associated Press on Friday that his request to perform the outside work was fully vetted by the state ethics commission and the Herald.
"The issue, as I understand it, is disclosure," he said. "I have fully disclosed everything to everyone involved."
Disclosure is not the only issue. Perception matters, too. Do we really need another paid partisan hack to confirm what the liberal MSM already unfairly assumes of all conservatives in the media--that we're all on the payroll of the Republican Party and incapable of independent journalism?
Take off the Bad Idea Jeans and show better judgement, people. Crikey.
Update: The Boston Herald gets some sense. They've fired Chieppo. Good.
posted on August 7, 2005 04:59:35 AM newBut for you left wing hypocrites if it were a Republican based program it would be a major scandal.
Boy...we ALL know that's the truth. Double standard in the MSM media...especially with the NYT.
---------------------
fenix - On your question....aren't you buying THEIR answer? How would we know for sure why they'd pay back those funds when the NYT won't even print an article on it? As is stated...the more times they change their answers....the more questions arise.
But the fact that this investigation IS going on and we haven't seen the NYT or other leftist media reporting on it.....does make a LOUD statement about their bias towards the left and their actions.
"Whenever the nation is under attack, from within or without, liberals side with the enemy. This is their essence." --Ann Coulter
And why the American Voters chose to RE-elect President Bush to four more years. YES!!!
posted on August 7, 2005 06:36:50 AM newThanks to a virtual blackout by his fellow editors elsewhere in the media, odds are good that you haven't heard or read that Executive Editor Bill Keller of The New York Times recently capitulated in the debate over bias in America's newspaper of record.
Keller's capitulation came in a lengthy memo he distributed in the Times' newsroom in May as a response to an updating of a massive report by a committee appointed in the wake of the Jayson Blair scandal to recommend measures to restore the gray lady's credibility.
In a section of the memo headed "The News/Opinion Divide," Keller conceded that "even sophisticated readers of The New York Times sometimes find it hard to distinguish between news coverage and commentary in our pages." The Times will always carry both news and opinion, but, Keller argued, "we should make the distinction as clear as possible."
Think about those statements for a moment. Here we have the top man in the newsroom at the nation's most important daily the newspaper that more than any other sets the mainstream print and broadcast media's agenda essentially conceding what countless critics have argued for years. Thus we see a storied institution admitting its need to rededicate itself to achieving a standard previously claimed as the daily norm of performance.
Not only that, but Keller also conceded one of the major problems facing the Times in the aftermath of the Blair scandal is the cultural isolation that marks the paper's newsroom. To counter that isolation, Keller encouraged his colleagues to undertake "a concerted effort to stretch beyond our predominantly urban, culturally liberal orientation, to cover the full range of our national conversation."
To drive the point home, Keller also noted that "our news coverage needs to embrace unorthodox views and contrarian opinions and to portray lives both more radical and more conservative than those most of us experience. We need to listen carefully to colleagues who are at home in realms that are not familiar to most of us."
Again, think about those words. Critics have charged for years that the Times newsroom is out of step with the majority of the country because the editorial staff represents but a small atypical slice of American demographics and opinion. That narrowness in turn has handicapped the daily's ability to identify, assess and credibly report much of the news deemed important by the rest of the nation. Now Keller says it's time for the newsroom to get in touch with the rest of America[/i].
A significant part of the effort to reach out to the rest of the nation concerns the Times' ability to understand the one-third of Americans who identify themselves as religious conservatives (i.e. evangelicals and fundamentalists of all stripes, plus conservative Catholics and Orthodox Jews).
To that end, Keller encouraged the daily newsroom staff to listen to colleagues working on the Times' magazine for lessons "about portraying religious conservatives in an interesting and three-dimensional way." He also warned about "the misuse of [the phrase] 'religious fundamentalists' to describe religious conservatives."
Yep.....sales slipping away will do it everytime.....just like has also occured at the L.A. Times. People aren't interested in only reading the 'liberal' version of current issues....flooded with only the far left's way of evaluating the stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Whenever the nation is under attack, from within or without, liberals side with the enemy. This is their essence." --Ann Coulter
And why the American Voters chose to RE-elect President Bush to four more years. YES!!!
[ edited by Linda_K on Aug 7, 2005 06:41 AM ]
posted on August 7, 2005 09:04:29 AM new
Linda K - you are so right (and correct) - the fact that the NYT will not cover this says much for their reporting 'ethics'.
The fact that the responses on this thread are name calling (You could try reading another newspaper you bozo) and comments such as "If you want to complain about the NYT your don't need to go grasping at this straw Linda" tells me that the left know that you are correct and have to resort to this type of behavior.
This is a major financial scandal that should be investigated and covered by all major papers. The fact that it is not may well be the reason newspapers have such a declining following.
.
Had a republican done that.....we would have seen the same reaction and daily, three week mention of it in their papers like we did about ol' dan, ratherbiased, when he was smearing President Bush with FALSE documents....unverified....didn't even bother to check out the source....just took his word for it.
Caroline