A representative of the charitable journalism foundation tells the New York Post's widely read Page Six column today that nearly $66,000 in donations to an adoption agency run by the wife of Freedom Forum founder Al Neuharth were "given in accordance with the law.''This is the first public acknowledgement by anyone at Freedom Forum, concerning my reports on grants the foundation gave to charities associated with Neuharth and his cronies -- charities that appear to have little in common with the foundation's mission.
Freedom Forum is dedicated to free speech and a free press, but the foundation in Washington, D.C., refuses to answer any of my questions about its spending. This is surprising for at least one other reason: The foundation employs a former USA Today editorial writer -- Susan Bennett (left) -- as its vice president of marketing, and certainly pays her well enough to answer a question or two: In 2007, Freedom Forum told the Internal Revenue Service, Bennett was paid $187,653 in wages and benefits, plus another $8,804 for her expenses.This isn't the first time Page Six has gone after Freedom Forum and Neuharth, of course. There was this eye-popping item last spring about the retired media mogul's possibly out-of-wedlock daughter.
Neuharth, 84, launched the foundation in 1991 with $650 million in capital reluctantly forked over by Gannett shareholders. That fortune was built by employees over 50 years for the benefit of newspaper carriers and other needy people in Gannett communities, when the money was held by the original Gannett Foundation.
But aided and abetted by a compliant board of trustees that he packed with political and media luminaries, Neuharth has treated the foundation's assets as his personal party fund ever since. That treasure -- which has now been spent down to $450 million -- belongs to the public, not to the overly pampered Neuharth clan.
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Well, they're piggy-backing on your work but it is nice to have some additional light shed on this topic. Congratulations on stirring things up enough that someone else recognized the outrage being harbored by the FF ... after years and years of fiscal and ethical abuse, IMHO.
ReplyDeleteGood reporting, Jim.
Now, to take it further ...
Susan Bennett is a nice person--as are a lot of the people you write about. But $200,000/year to be a marketing veep at a foundation? How's that $20 admission fee panning out? It must be going great, since I notice the Newseum is now looking to cater weddings.
ReplyDeleteI would think the marketing job is a legitimate, tough job -- not no-show cash.
ReplyDeleteWith the ridiculous $20 admission, her job probably is pretty tough to accomplish, too. I wonder if the $20 is her idea or the board's.
As someone with a family that visits DC fairly often, we might go there for half that price but no way would pay $100 to spend a few hours in the "newseum." DC offers so many free and inexpensive attractions.
The Smithsonian the Newseum is not
ReplyDelete1:02, you're right. That's the basic problem. The Newseum has a lot of cool artifacts. But to really enjoy a lot of them, one would have to spend hours and hours looking at those old newspapers and such. Of course, the average family traveling with children has no patience for hours and hours of anything. ("Mommy, my feet are tirrrrred.") Whether it's the Air and Space or the Newseum, if you get two hours in, you're lucky. And that's including an hour (and the $55 you'll spend) in the cafeteria.
ReplyDeleteWhat family of four can afford to spend $115 for an hour or two of museum experience?
I think somebody needs a spanking.
ReplyDeleteMoney laundering by the wealthy? Are we surprised???????
ReplyDelete