(USNewsMag.com) – An article published by Fox News revealed the existence of an environmental organization known as 1Earth Fund which has been providing funding to local news outlets in order to encourage more reporting on weather and climate news.
One such project funded by 1Earth Fund is “Connected Coastlines” an initiative overseen by the Pulitzer Center. According to the Pulitzer Center, Connected Coastlines is a “consortium of newsrooms and independent journalists across America” that are reporting on “the local effects of erratic weather patterns on coastal populations.” Among the outlets affiliated with the initiative are big names like The New York Times, Boston Globe, and Chicago Tribune.
The secretive fund also sponsors other projects like the Climate Reporting Masterclass which teaches journalists how to better report on climate change. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are also involved in that project.
1Earth Fund also helps to send direct grants to various newspapers to fund articles. The articles funded by those grants generally focus on green energy and highlight global warming. While outlets such as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution claim that the grants do not influence their coverage, it is noteworthy that the founder of 1Earth Fund is Roy Richards Jr. Richards is also the chairman of Southwire Company, a billion-dollar company that produces electrical wire and cable for renewable energy products. Southwire was founded by Roy’s father in 1937.
According to the senior vice president of research at the John Locke Foundation called the articles funded by 1Earth Fund “advocacy dressed up as news reporting.” He also pointed out that the founder of the fund “seeks to gain financially from […] a transition to renewable energy.”
1Earth Fund has recently come under fire from a North Carlina agriculture group due to recent articles that were critical of their industry. It is the belief of the chairman of the group that 1Earth Fund is paying reporters to attack his industry.
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