Pat Robertson seeks to buy Paper that has exposed him several times

[ck4829]

The Virginian-Pilot, located in Norfolk, VA, has long provided excellent, in-depth coverage of Pat Robertson and his various activities. In particular, Pilot journalists Steven Vegh and Bill Sizemore have regularly covered Robertson, often generating national news coverage of his exploits - including his yearly predictions, his health claims, his charities, his buisness dealings, and his outrageous statements.

And now the Pilot was the first to report another Robertson-related scoop - the televangelist is trying to buy the newspaper:

"Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, who has sharply criticized The Virginian-Pilot in the past, is considering making a bid to buy the newspaper, an associate said Thursday ... "I am considering a potential bid for the Pilot and have asked my attorneys to look into it," Robertson said in an e-mail forwarded by his personal assistant, G.G. Conklin. "It would be particularly helpful to provide internships for Regent University journalism students.""

As the article notes, "Robertson has objected to articles in The Pilot that he has said unfairly characterized his pursuits." Presumably, should Robertson succeed in purchasing the paper, Vegh and Sizemore will both be out of jobs and the interns from Regent won't be particularly committed to carrying on their legacy of exposing Robertson's lunacy.

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/2008/01/robertson_seeks.html

[Solly Mack]

1. That's one way of killing dissent

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. Indeed, and it was worked flawlessly here in the states

Look at the "News" Corporation empire for starters.

[Solly Mack]

4. Yep...works like a charm and has for years

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. ...as millions of little old ladies open their checkbooks.........

and write big-buck donations to their God-on-earth, Crackpat Robertson.

[acmavm]

5. And he has tax exempt status? He's gonna by a newspaper and

maintain his tax exempt status? The first article out of the gate that is pure propaganda should end that.

[Botany]

6. Gotta keep little stories like this from coming out.

Robertson used his "Operation Blessings" in Africa to help a dictator
run a diamond operation.

http://www.skeptictank.org/robem2.htm

<A yearlong investigation of televangelist Pat Robertson's activities in Africa is now over, but state officials are sitting on the final report pending a review by attorneys, reports the Virginian-Pilot newspaper. The probe focused on possible inappropriate activities involving Robertson's Operation Blessing outreach, and a private corporation he operated known as the African Development Co. Based in Zaire, the firm was established by Robertson during the rule of the late dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. The two men established close ties, and Mobutu wined and dined Robertson during one visit to the country; ADC also received vast forestry and mineral concessions, but the diamond mining operation eventually went bankrupt. Mobutu, after a quarter-century of iron fisted rule, died last year in exile from cancer. He left Zaire bankrupt and impoverished, and since 1994 had even been considered persona non grata in the United States.

In April, 1997 two pilots who worked for Operation Blessing charged that planes linked to Robertson and his ministry flew mostly to haul equipment for ADC's private diamond operation. Robert Hinkle, the chief pilot told reporter Bill Sizemore that of about 40 flights within Zaire during the half-year period he was there, "Only one or at most two" were related to the humanitarian mission of Operation Blessing. The rest were "mining-related."

"We got over there and we had 'Operation Blessing' painted on the tails of the airplanes, Hinkle told the Virginian-Pilot, "but we were doing no humanitarian relief at all. We were just supplying the miners and flying the dredges from Kinshasa out to Tdshikapa."

If so, that activity could jeopardize Operation Blessing's special tax exempt status. It also highlights Robertson's network of projects and corporations mixing religion, politics and private business.>