General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Molly Norris, American Cartoonist and Victim of Terror, and Glenn Greenwald. [View all]NewDeal_Dem
(1,049 posts)But they come with a backstory that is unusual for the mainstream media. The pair started their company in 2006 reportedly after meeting via Christian fellowships, and have frequently been the subject of reports linking them to David Jang, a controversial Korean pastor who is also the founder of Olivet University, an evangelical school based in San Francisco, California.
Davis once taught journalism at Olivet, and his wife, Tracy, is the universitys president. Uzac sat on Olivets board of trustees until last year, and his wife, Marion, who has also worked at IBT Media, was previously the press secretary for the World Evangelical Alliance. Olivet is a member of the alliance and Jang sits on the alliances North American council. Olivet graduates have been hired to work in a number of roles at IBT Media. The Guardian has confirmed that as Olivet expands its operations around the US, IBT Media has given money to the college.
Davis said in an interview that their work and faith were separate, and that he wanted the journalism to speak for itself both at their new magazine and at the International Business Times, a news website that was IBT Medias flagship title until it bought Newsweek.
Similarly, he dismissed the notion that readers should be troubled by the little-known fact that he has personally endorsed the view, espoused by the so-called ex-gay movement, that gay people may have developed their sexuality as a result of being sexually abused as children, and can be cured by therapy to make them heterosexual.
In a Facebook post in February 2013, Davis described as "shockingly accurate" an op-ed article written by Christopher Doyle, the director of the International Healing Foundation (IHF), which works to convert gay people. Davis said it cuts like a hot knife through a buttery block of lies.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/mar/28/newsweek-new-owners-background