News You Can Use

A quick spin around the machine known as the main-stream media, to see what people are saying about charities and those that try to navigate the waters.

• Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News is a sportswriter who wrote a column where he (gasp!) revealed that not every athlete's foundation is as reputable or noble as Lance Armstrong's. My colleague Sandra Miniutti is quoted.
  
• When people don't like our rating system, they often resort to saying we're ideologues who have biases against certain groups. We say that's silly, and we don't care what you do, as long as you do it ethically, effectively, and efficiently. Exhibit A in our defense would be our 4-star rating for this group of atheists.
  
• Another high-profile Hollywood group that does poorly under the Charity Navigator system. It's looking less and less likely that I'll ever sell my screenplay.
  
• Think all charities are doing great, and that no one would ever use supposedly sick kids to rip off unsuspecting donors? Well, of course you don't, if you read this blog, but you might want to check out this video (enter the word "charity" in the keyword box) anyway. It's a Florida NBC special report on one of the more bogus groups you'll ever find. Yours truly makes an appearance.
  
• If you've read this far and still want to give to a reputable charity, you could do a lot worse than this one or this one.