Why is Gates foundation financing the purchase of newspapers?

[atrus123]

I rescued the entire article from the Drudge Report, which is known to cycle through headlines quickly:
http://www.animewine.com/index.php?entry=entry060821-084212

Does anybody else find it odd that they've loaned a company 400m to purchase newspapers? Couldn't the foundation money be better used for other things, like, hospitals in poor countries?

I know the Gates foundation does a lot all around the world, but this seems like a bit of a silly use of their money.

I guess, in theory, if this is a loan, they should be getting their money back, but let's face it: newspapers are on their way out for a reason. They'll never make enough to pay that back.

[tribaal]

Maybe it's not the paper they are buying, but what is written on it?

- trib'

[Brunellus]

newspapers as we know them are on their way out in countries with enough electricity to have pervasive information technology. That's not the case in 90 percent of the world.

[Spacecaptain]

newspapers as we know them are on their way out in countries with enough electricity to have pervasive information technology. That's not the case in 90 percent of the world.

my guess is that buying newspapers in the countries that have widespread HIV and tuberculosis epidemics could be an effective way to reach a significant part of the population with prevention and safe practices. Especially in the case of HIV, this could be the only way to counter the catholic churches' anti-condom propaganda, and help introduce and de-marginalise the use of them.

of course, many years of bad practice by Bill Gates in the business arena might just lead to a wholly different use of the aquired press opinion.... let's hope the first thing will occure

[BWF89]

Theres no hope for preventing AIDS in most of those African countries. For one thing in some of those African countries as many as 30% of the population have AIDS. Some of their governments even deny the existance of AIDS. And to top it off the culture in those countries is one where if a man felt like having sex he could rape any random women but nothing would be done to him and the woman would be stoned to death for dishonoring her family by getting raped. People in some of those places actually think that if you have AIDS and you have sex with a virgin you rid yourself of the disease and give it to her. I don't think all the newspapers in the world is going to change traditions as deep rooted as that.

my guess is that buying newspapers in the countries that have widespread HIV and tuberculosis epidemics could be an effective way to reach a significant part of the population with prevention and safe practices. Especially in the case of HIV, this could be the only way to counter the catholic churches' anti-condom propaganda, and help introduce and de-marginalise the use of them
You can't blaim the Catholic church for reccomending the only 100% guaranteed way of preventing the spread of disease.

[croak77]

He did not loan money to newspapers in third world countries, unless you consider Minnesota a third world country. Usually when you give someone a loan, you get the money back with interest. So I'm sure Mr. Gates thinks he is going to increase his foundation's money over time. The foundation needs to makes money. It own stakes in BP, Costco, Walmart, Waste Managment and a bunch of others.

http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1166559/000104746906010927/0001047469-06-010927.txt

[Yossarian]

I'll still take my morning newspaper over the Internets, any day.

Long live dead trees, figuratively speaking.