Comments on: Questions over Greg Mortenson's stories
Add a Comment
- Now do a piece on "Smile Train"--one of the most cynical charities in the country that spends far more on staff salaries and ancillary expenses than it does on plastic surgery for children with congenital malformations...
- Reply to this comment
- Actually, my reaction is independent of whether the story is true or not. There have been plenty of cases of fraudulent charities. I blame the American giving public because we are more moved by sensational stories and emotionalism than by a solid understanding of development issues and a little personal research. I am on the board of a charity that gets very high rankings for transparency and accountability, but I see few donors or potential donors asking about those issues.
- Reply to this comment
- Now do a piece on "Smile Train"--one of the most cynical charities, which also has spent much more on staff and ancillary expenses than on actual services to children with deformed palates.
- Reply to this comment
- Financial oversight of charities is entirely valid. I stopped giving money to Worldvision when I discovered that less of it than I had hoped was getting through to the intended recipients. Instead, I found a charity that spent less money on "overheads" and gave there.
Despite the "defenders" here, until there is a satisfactory response to these allegations, and to me the responses on their own web page from the three man board (of which one is Mortenson) are NOT satisfactory, I will be looking for another organization to help. - Reply to this comment
- This is a sad and sensationalistic piece of "journalism" First of all I would like to ask, why come after Mr Mortenson right now? Most media outlets simply regurgitate press releases, so I want to know who were behind this "expose" and what are their intentions?
I have had the pleasure of meeting Greg and seeing him speak several times and he is an amazing person who's life purpose is bringing education to the poor children of Afghanistan and Pakistan. And he has brought forth tremendous awareness to this issue, saying over and over how we need to bring education to the poor to countries where there is conflict instead of waging wars.
This is uncomfortably close to a recent piece of news that got little attention, by the World Bank, who made a statement that we need to stop investing in education for the poor in violent countries and we should instead support investing for better police forces. Hmm...something is indeed very rotten here.
It is shameful to go after people who bring good into this world. Bring awareness to the real issues CBS! Programs like this are sorry examples of what 60 minutes and the news in general are not anymore. Most news outlets simply regurgitate press releases, there is really very little serious reporting happening any longer, reporting on issues that truly matter. - Reply to this comment
- A quick check of what is on CAI's website and we can see at least 3 more three things in the tradition of dodgy reporting and "gotcha" journalism.
1) AIP philanthropy head says only one financial statement has been released by CAI in 15 years. CBS footage then shows them looking at what is in fact CAI 990 report submitted to the IRS - of which 990 reports going back to 1996 are all downloadable on the website. Misleading? Most people would say so. And what of financial statements. One is on the website but no non-profit lists their quarterly financials on the website; if they are asked for a financial, they should be transparent and provide the last audited financial statement, which CAI has done on its website.
2) CBS newsman says again with AIP chief, so they are spending more on book-related expenses than schools - yes, says AIP chief. Come on, you don't need to ask. You just reported $1.7 million on book-related expenses. The financial statement meanwhile says $3.9 million went to schools. What is greater? the schools! Misleading? Again, an objective person would say yes.
3) Any non-profit has its story. Go back to 1996 and their first financial statement - $66,000, that's it. Mortenson have a salary? No, not even! 1997 --- more money, now his salary is $32,000 --- is the same next year 1998, when the organization's income is just short of $1 million. Is here profiteering? No! In 2005, more than a year before the book publication, the organization's revenue is $1.5 million - Greg is now making $111,000... So, in 2009, if the organization has $14.3 million in revenues, where do you think all of that is coming from - board fundraising? Grants? It says $13.7 million if from donations and $600,000 from investment income. How could they get $13.7 million in grants? Greg Mortenson! And his book. Did you say "book-related expenses" were $1.7 million - and domestic outreach was $4 million? But what is greater - $13.7 million that has come in thanks to "book-related" gifts and contributions or $1.7 million in "book-related" expenses? Misleading - you betcha!
Mortenson may be a poor manager - it is a joke to have a 3-member board including yourself - the CPA firm from tiny Bozeman has a done poor job of advising - the legal firm has done a poor job on advising of his organizational structure... but what is that old saying? About gnats napping at the heels of great souls... - Reply to this comment
- Shame on you 60 minutes. Shame on you for not rising to your own reputation. Why no mention of how much in donations are raised every time Greg makes a speech? So slanted and so wrong. Everyone should check out www.ikat.org for the real answers that were provided to you that you failed to share with us.
- Reply to this comment
- The reason that this person's comment is relevant is that CBS's characterization of Mortenson's activities, or Mortenson's veracity, herein is that the overt implications in CBS's 'story' is quite a mimic of Obama's similar lack of transparency, Obama's lack of openness. The simplest answer to most problems is usually correct. The simplest answer to Obama's and Mortenson's opaqueness is that each has something to hide, that each is being deceptive. There is nothing out of order in the comment you object to, other than it's not PC, which is just a modern word for the Duck Speak made famous in the book "Animal Farm".
- Reply to this comment
- Dear Colleagues
I am very disappointed to learn what 60 Minutes found out about the Greg Mortenson story ... but not entirely surprised. In some ways the US culture is to blame, together with its media and the totally dysfunctional systems of oversight and accountability that make fraud and scams the easiest way to riches and respect.
I have worked in more than 50 countries on assignments for the World Bank, the UN and corporate clients. It is very easy to have a story about performance as long as location and specifics about what and when are avoided. TrueValueMetrics starts to put these points of information into play, and the result is much more correlation between story and reality.
Peter Burgess
truevaluemetrics.org
@truevaluemetrics - Reply to this comment
- IF YOU ARE AN INTELLIGENT INDIVIDUAL WHO IS ABLE TO LOOK BEYOND SENSATIONALISTIC JOURNALISM READ ON
REALLY CBS?
Instead of investigating Wall Street scams that have brought our country to its economic knees, you choose to attack a person/organization that is building schools for girls in extremely poor regions with no other means to educate themselves? Shame on you.
The board of CAI and Mortenson have posted responses to every single question, innuendo and half truth that CBS included as part of the story - these responses can be found at http://www.ikat.org/
I do not blame either Mortenson, CAI or its board for not sitting for a 60 minutes piece that will be chopped into 5 second sound bites to advance an aggressive attack campaign. Their responses at the web site above are in depth. Please take the time to read them.
As a result of this "news report," we will be increasing our donations to CAI as a show of support for this important cause. We will never achieve peace by dropping bombs on this region of the world and with God's grace, through these peaceful outreach programs, we'll achieve long lasting peace despite efforts by mainstream media and hidden agendas to do the opposite.
God bless you this Holy Week - Reply to this comment
