The New Gold Mines in the US Business Arena: Government-Approved & Establishment-Funded NGOs
Four years ago two Wall Street men came together and said: ‘Let’s set up a new business and make lots of money.’ They thought and researched and thought some more until they found the best business model to empower and enrich themselves on a grand scale: A Tax-Exempt NGO to be posed as An Alternative Media. And they did it. The smart Wall Street men were absolutely right. They quickly raised $6 Million dollars from men and women who were seeking Wall Street men to pose as common men’s alternative media outlet. These men and women have been in the business of controlled-opposition for the masses for a long time. It was a marriage made in heaven.
The Wall Street men speedily obtained the government’s nod as well. They registered their shop as a nonprofit, signed the government’s forms and assured them with multiple pledges, and ensured a tax-free and scrutiny-free set-up for their lucrative shop.
The Wall Street men quickly set up shop with a very quickly gathered $6 Million. They suavely hung banners advertising their shop as the Independent Alternative Media organization to counter the mainstream media propaganda and the dirty establishment. You see, they counted on the common men’s stupidity and short attention span with these glossy banners. And unfortunately they were proven right again.
While the Wall Street men’s flashy banners said they were independent, the sources of their millions of dollars pouring into their shop said otherwise: The establishment’s mega corporate foundations and dynasty-billionaire families were the primary sources of their soon-to-become $37 Million. But as the Wall Street men had predicted the common men had no inclination or attention span to notice this. And this despite the Wall Street men placing some of their mega establishment donors on the board of directors of their shop.
The Wall Street men went as far as playing a sardonic joke with their common men audiences’ gullibility. Here is what they did: They put the major players of the mainstream media on their Alternative Journalism Advisory Board. Of course, every night, while downing their fancy Martinis, while counting their ever-increasing millions of dollars, they laughed and joked about it. This was their land of unlimited opportunities thanks to the masses who occupied it! And the Wall Street men, and many more men like them, continued getting richer and living happily after.
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The above story seems to be repeating itself over and over within the landscape of American media and NGOs utilized by the establishment as a propaganda and control mechanism.
During the last few days we have been investigating and reporting on one example of these combined NGO-Media set ups under the guise of alternative, independent and pro-public (See here and here). ProPublica’s Wall Street founders did exactly what’s recounted in the story above. They did set up an NGO enterprise posing as an alternative media outlet for the masses who have been disillusioned and disgusted by the mainstream media. They did in fact receive $37 Million from the establishmentculprits- the billionaires and mega millionaires of the mega corporate dynasties: George Soros, Rockefellers, Carnegie, Ford, Hewlett, Sandler …
They are saying they are independent despite the fact that all their millions are coming from these mega corporate foundations. Yet, take a look at their board of directors, and see how the guy that gives them $4 Million a year is sitting at the top of their board of directors. They are independent of the people, and completely dependent on their billionaire funders. Here is one of the most glaring examples:
The Sandler Foundation Gives ProPublica their largest fun at $4,000,000
The Sandler Foundation’s Mega Billionaire Herbert Sandler sits at the head of ProPublica’s Board of Directors (aka the Head Director)
They are saying that they are alternative media; an alternative to the propaganda-ridden and lies-filled mainstream media. Yet, take a look at their Journalism Advisory Board. As you can see, almost every mega player of the mainstream media happens to be on their journalism advisory board. To make it easier for you, let’s check out ProPublica’s advisors:
L. Gordon Crovitz- Wall Street Journal
Allan Sloan- Fortune magazine
Jill Abramson- The New York Times
Kerry Smith- ABC News
Ellen Miller- The Sunlight Foundation: One of Many George Soros NGO Enterprises
David Boardman- The Seattle Times
John S. Carroll- the Los Angeles Times
Shawn McIntosh- The Atlanta Journal
Priscilla Painton- Simon & Schuster
With Billionaire establishment as their funders (for a whopping $37 Million) and directors, and with the dirty players of the dirty mainstream media entities as their direct advisors, what is exactly ProPublica an alternative for? The answer is yours to be said out loud.
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Sibel Edmonds is the Publisher & Editor of Boiling Frogs Post and the author of the Memoir Classified Woman: The Sibel Edmonds Story. She is the recipient of the 2006 PEN Newman’s Own First Amendment Award for her “commitment to preserving the free flow of information in the United States in a time of growing international isolation and increasing government secrecy” Ms. Edmonds has a MA in Public Policy and International Commerce from George Mason University, a BA in Criminal Justice and Psychology from George Washington University==========================
The Gold Mine Called “Alternative Media”- Four Years in Business with $37 Million in Revenues & $584, 914 in Annual Salaries
Yesterday we published a report exposing ProPublica- A 501 (C) (3) Nonprofit Organization in New York City, born in 2008, under the guise of Independent Alternative Media. The highly successful enterprise was the brainchild of two crusty Wall Street men: Paul Steiger and Richard Tofel.During the first year of its operation ProPublica secured $6,000,000 in seed money from all the who’s who of corporate foundations and dynasties such as Rockefeller, Carnegie, George Soros, Ford, Goldman Fund, Hewlett Foundation, etc.
Since their enterprise operation began in July of 2008, ProPublica has secured over $37,000,000 in funding from all the corporate sugar daddies, some of whom are mentioned above.
Our report yesterday emphasized this brand new enterprise’s mega-million funding and billionaire funders. We also provided coverage of ProPublica’s partners, who cover the entire charlatan mainstream media – players such as the New York Times, LA Times, CNN, CBS and the rest.
Here is a summary of ProPublica’s Funding sources for one year-2012:
Board of Directors contributions and related grants= $ 4,496,000
Major grants and gifts ($50,000 and above) = 4,631,000
Business Advisory Council contributions = 181,000
Online donations = 178,000
Other grants and gifts = 636,000
Earned income = 38,000
Total $10,160,000
Please pay attention to the highlighted numbers. For an NGO that is advertising itself as an “Independent” and for the Public, Propublica received less than 2% of its $10 Million from the people- of their $10,160,000, only $178,000 came from the people. So who are they serving again? Whose enterprise are they? Answer please.
Today, after spending hours analyzing ProPublica’s tax forms, which list their enterprise’s expenses for 2012 (Click Here ), we have more shocking items to report. For this report we are concentrating mainly on the incredibly extravagant salaries listed for this newly created NGO enterprise, since the level of money they receive would even raise the eyebrows of the highest paid reporters-managers in mainstream media publications. The President and Editor in Chief for ProPublica, Paul E. Steiger (Position in 2012), made $570,000 + $14,914 = $584,914
The Managing Editor for ProPublica, Stephen Engelberg, made $360,000 + $31, 758 = $391, 758
The General Manger for ProPublica (Position in 2012), Richard Tofel, made $335,000 + $28,600 = $363,600
The Vice President for ProPublica, Debra Goldberg, made $240,000 + $20, 2135 = $260,135
The Editor for ProPublica, Mark Schoofs, made $184,000 + $7918 = $191,918
A Senior Reporter for ProPublica (Position in 2012), Jesse Eisinger, made $218,500 + $29,682 = $248,182.
Another Senior Reporter, for ProPublica, Dafna Linzer, made $212,000 + $18,534 = $230,534 .
Another ProPublica Senior Reporter, Charles Ornstein, made $192,500 + $$25,984 = $218,484
And yet another Propublica Senior Reporter, Tracy Weber, made $192,500 + $20,270 = $212,770
The last we heard (and read) journalists were crying out loud on the issue of shrinking and even disappearing already-meager salaries. Well, the industry’s report on average salaries justifies them, since even within the major publications in New York many senior reporters are collecting less than $60,000. What do you know! They should be lining up for jobs with the NGO online publications!! ProPublica reporters are making quarter million dollars annual salaries and benefits ($248,000).
Same with managers and mid-level editors. The private publication business industry seems nothing compared to some start-up NGOs. Look, the general managers and mid-level VPs at ProPublica are raking hundreds of thousands of dollars ($363,600 & $260,135).
And check out the Wall Street man who had the nose to smell where the real money was going to come from: Mr. Paul E. Steiger with $584,914. And whoever said you can’t make millions of dollars within a couple of years using NGO models and dirty sugar daddies has been proven wrong!Ladies and gentlemen, if you have given donations/contributions to ProPublica you should be waking up now. They are the perfect example of the corrupt establishment creating pseudo alternative mediums for controlled-opposition. If I were you I’d be at their door, knocking; I’d be asking for my donations back with interest. I’d be notifying the appropriate channels if I were tricked under false pretenses. You see, when we catch ones like ProPublica we are not powerless. We can show our people power. We can do something about it. So do it. Also, please take responsibility and notify others to raise awareness. We can do this. We must do it.
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Sibel Edmonds is the Publisher & Editor of Boiling Frogs Post and the author of the Memoir Classified Woman: The Sibel Edmonds Story. She is the recipient of the 2006 PEN Newman’s Own First Amendment Award for her “commitment to preserving the free flow of information in the United States in a time of growing international isolation and increasing government secrecy” Ms. Edmonds has a MA in Public Policy and International Commerce from George Mason University, a BA in Criminal Justice and Psychology from George Washington University.
Cryptome Documents Reveal the Wall Street-Founded & Establishment-Funded Pseudo “Alternative” ProPublica
Update & Notes-Here is what you can do to show your power (People Power): After reading this article and reviewing the official documents, if you believe ProPublica has taken your money under false pretenses: 1- Contact ProPublica and ask for a refund with interest; 2- Report to PayPal if you believe you were charged under false pretenses; 3-Put the word out, issue alerts, and raise awareness to prevent further victimization. 
On September 7, 2013, the daring website, Cryptome, published and publicized the tax reports filed by one of the dime-a-dozen pseudo alternative online publications-ProPublica. The stunning IRS 990 forms filed by this new flashy tax-exempt online news organization expose a secretive operation funded by millions of dollars received from secret entities: ProPublica Tax Report for 2011 lists $10,000,000 (Ten Million Dollars) private funding from Anonymous (Secret) Donors: Click Here
ProPublica Tax Report for 2010 lists $10,000,000 (Ten Million Dollars) private funding from Anonymous (Secret) Donors: Click Here
ProPublica Tax Report for 2009 lists $ 6,000,000 (Six Millions Dollars) private funding from Anonymous (Secret) Donors: Click Here
That is correct. ProPublica, in the first three years of its existence and operation, has received $26,000,000 (26 Million Dollars) funding from secret donors.
The tax-exempt, 501 (C) (3) NGO was established and began operation in June 2008. When you look at the established date of their operation, and their first 990 tax form filed in 2009, you see that, right from the start, before even establishing any track record, their founders-operators were able to collect $6,000,000. Well, if you look at ProPublica’s founders and operators the above facts will start making sense:
ProPublica was founded by Paul Steiger, the former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal
Propublica is managed and led by Stephen Engelberg, the former investigative editor of The New York Times
Propublica is run and directed by Richard Tofel, the former assistant publisher of The Wall Street Journal
Let’s sum it up: Three individuals, major participants and players from the US mainstream media, from entities long known as intimate propaganda arms of the US government, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, got together and said: The alternative media is taking off with the public, so let’s set up shop and pose as one. After all, the establishment is smart enough to not put all its eggs in one basket-in this case, the mainstream outlet.
With their established record as mainstream players who understood the importance of government-imposed propaganda and the role of controlled opposition fronts, the trio set up shop with window-dressing that distorted them and made them look like a Watch-Dog Independent Alternative media outlet – in a posh office with an Uber Expensive Manhattan address.
Right from the start, with the government and the establishment’s backing they positioned them in the forefront as a major player by: 1-quickly securing $6,000,000 upfront seed money from secret donors; 2-smoothly establishing their shop-business as a tax-exempt 501 (C) (3) NGO with the US government
Isn’t it amazing how a supposedly alternative watchdog that is supposedly working to expose dark secret deals for greater transparency and public awareness happens to be a mega-funded business with secret mega-donors?!
I tried my best to comb through their site, hoping to get a glimpse of these generous funders who have given ProPublica $26,000,000. But, no such luck. If I were a betting woman, I’d put my money on the same-o-same-o mega corporate foundations- the 1%: Soros, Rockefellers, Carnegie, Ford … You know who we’re looking at and talking about here, no?
I would say that even more appalling than having $26,000,000 from secret donors is the fact that ProPublica wants much more: They want uninformed and gullible individuals, our average hard-working Janes & Johns, to dish out donations and recurring subscriptions, and enrich the already very rich operators of this so-called alternative business. How bold and daring of ProPublica!
Think about it, during these tough economic times, while even the mainstream is struggling to make ends meet (despite backing from billionaires, government and corporate advertisers), ProPublica has received $26, 000,000 and more from its secret admirers within the mega-billionaire circle. Why? Since when do the Uber Corporate players and their foundations have a desire for transparency-seeking and Pro-Public media sources? Obviously, they don’t want any transparency when it comes to their money and where their mega-dollars go. Otherwise, why remain so very anonymous and secret? Right?
Last week I wrote a commentary on the one and only way to operate as a true alternative media source: 100% independence from the corporations, foundations, NGOs and the partisan machines- 100% reliance on public sponsorship and support.
As I have repeatedly stated here at Boiling Frogs Post, to be an independent alternative is to be financially independent of corporate money and agenda-driven foundation-NGO money strings. Okay, so let’s say we throw out the venues such as corporate advertisement, corporate foundation (Think Soros, Rockefeller, Ford …) grants and funds, and government-provided tax strings aka NGO traps. Then how do we expect our alternative model to survive and sustain itself?
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Who does this We mean? Because there are some mega-corporate players who seem very willing and ready to subsidize media: George Soros does. Rockefellers, Carnegie, Ford … all do. That is, as long as the alternative is NOT an alternative and the information is NOT independent. You want to read or listen to what Soros or Rockefellers want you to read or listen to, then be my guest – go and pick any of many-dozens of outlets posing as alternatives. You know who I am talking about, no?
Because the only subsidization that makes an alternative real and independent is the people. That’s right. It has to come from the people: we the people. There is no way around it. We can’t have it both ways: demand and seek real independent alternatives, yet, not be willing to support those who qualify as such.
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You can read the entire commentary here at Boiling Frogs Post. For my series on Mega-Corporate Foundations & Lap-Dog NGOs Click Here
I would say it is time for people to contact this pseudo alternative and ask for a refund with interest included. I knew the nature of this Wall Street enterprise right from the start. However, had I naively contributed to their enterprise, thinking of it as Pro-Public, I would be screaming for my hard-earned money back. We should all be thankful to Cryptome for this huge exposé.
And on a final note, when you look at ProPublica’s gloating of their fame, you see how the ex-partners and teammates of ProPublica operators have been raving about this supposed alternative competitor-from CNN Money to the New York Times, Atlantic and Guardian. Why wouldn’t they? After all, as misery loves company, so does the infesting bacteria of the government’s propaganda machine.
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*Author’s note: Boiling Frogs Post is an independent nonpartisan news organization that is 100% subsidized by its individual readers’ subscription and donations. We do not receive a single penny from the corporates, advertisers, foundations, NGOs or partisan operations. Please support us: This is the only model that is qualified as alternative and independent. Thank you.Sibel Edmonds is the Publisher & Editor of Boiling Frogs Post and the author of the Memoir Classified Woman: The Sibel Edmonds Story. She is the recipient of the 2006 PEN Newman’s Own First Amendment Award for her “commitment to preserving the free flow of information in the United States in a time of growing international isolation and increasing government secrecy” Ms. Edmonds has a MA in Public Policy and International Commerce from George Mason University, a BA in Criminal Justice and Psychology from George Washington University
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It is $37 Million Not $26 Million! And Check Out ProPublica’s List of Sugar Daddies & Partners!
Ladies and gentleman, in less than an hour after our report on ProPublica tax forms, their $26 Million-dollar budget and untraceable (at least not easily traceable) corporates and foundations funders, we received a threatening e-mail from their President Richard Tofel asking us to retract our story since somewhere, out there, they have a list of some of their major donors. They sure made that info hard to find! Now we have more documents, including the list of some of their major donors and a more exact dollar number for their operating budget. We are more than happy to release these documents and the links. You know what: This information proves every single point we made in our report and more! Here we go:
1- We had listed ProPublica’s funding at $26,000,000. Well, it happens to be much higher than that: ProPublica, during their first four years, received $37,000,000 in funding. They received $11,000,000 in 2012, and that brings the total for their four years in operation to $37,000,000Million: Click Here
2- They have listed some of their big foundations- make that corporate-foundations, under a vague ‘Supporters’ page. Well, again, I was right: Ford, Soros, Rockefeller and Carnegie are there, but there are more …Hewlett Foundation, Lisa & Douglas Goldman Fund , Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge … and check this, even NBC4New York!! To read the list filled with mega billionaires and millionaires check out ProPublica’s list of Sugar Daddies here
Let me give you a couple of examples: Sandler Foundation gave ProPublica $4,000,000 in 2012, and Knight Foundation gave them $2,000,000 only in 2012 (for one year). Check them out here
3- ProPublica also lists its partners. Ladies and gentleman if we had to summarize the list it would read: The Entire US Mainstream Media. ProPublica partners list include: CNN, ABC News, CBS News, Chicago Tribune, NPR, CNBC, Fortune, Los Angeles Times, The Nation, The New York Times, NewsWeek … Basically, the entire charlatan and propaganda machine called the US Mainstream Media. Not only that, they are also partner with Amazon! Please help yourself to this truly stinky list of ProPublica partners: Click Here
All right. I now have provided you with additional information related to ProPublica funding and partners, as I promised Mr. Tofel. And with all this, what have we got? Let’s recap:
An almost brand new business posing as a nonprofit alternative online publication received $37,000,000 since its operation began 4 years ago. This hefty $37,000,000 comes from all the nasty corporate moguls such as Rockefellers, George Soros, Ford, Carnegie Family, Hewlett Packard, Goldman, and the like. ProPublica is also proud to announce the entire dirty despicable US mainstream media, outlets such as CNN, NBC, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, as its dear partners in its operations.
Now, I invite you to find one qualification here, whether in funding, or the background of its operators, or its partners, that makes this phony an Independent Alternative Media with only the public interest in mind. When ProPublica says, alternative, ask them exactly alternative to what?!
As for ProPublica’s bullying and its threats to BFP: We have stated facts and have provided ample public documents as evidence-mainly from ProPublica’s own tax filings and website. I believe the threat should flow the other way: Every single individual donor, I’m talking hard-working Americans, who has ever donated hard-earned dollars to this organization, should be looking into getting their money back and making better use of it.
For an enterprise that is advertising itself as open alternative media ProPublica sure doesn’t like any eyes on or scrutiny of its business.
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