News World Communications

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For the now-defunct U.S. television production company and station owner, see New World Communications.

News World Communications, Inc. is a media corporation owned by the Unification Church.[1] The best-known of News World's publications is The Washington Times, a newspaper founded by church leader Sun Myung Moon in 1982. News World also owns United Press International as well as a number of other media companies around the world.

Contents

[edit] Relationship to the Unification Church

News World Communications, Inc. was founded by Moon and Bo Hi Pak, and its board of directors are members of the Unification Church.

In 2003, The New Yorker reported that a billion dollars had been spent since the inception of News World. Moon noted in a 1991 speech that "Literally nine hundred million to one billion dollars has been spent to activate and run the Washington Times"[2]. By 2002, Columbia Journalism Review suggested Moon had spent nearly $2 billion on the Times[3] and in 2006 Consortium News said that the figure was more than $3 billion. It is widely believed that Moon has funded it at a loss to provide a political voice for the neoconservative wing of the Republican Party and the Unification Church.[4]

Through its ownership and subsidies of News World, the Unification Church also funds the controversial Insight Magazine, formerly a print publication but since 2004 a solely online publication. Unification Church subsidies also cover the operating losses of United Press International, another News World property. At a January 2, 1996 Unification Church leadership conference, Rev. Moon said:

"That is why Father has been combining and organizing scholars from all over the world, and also newspaper organizations, in order to make propaganda."[5]

In 1984, two years after founding the Times, Moon said

"The means of doing battle around the world have changed markedly. Instead of the conventional warfare of military forces, we have three major types of warfare today. First of all is ideological warfare; secondly is the warfare between intelligence forces; and thirdly, the warfare of propaganda.", and Moon concluded "In today's warfare of ideology, intelligence and propaganda, nobody can compete with Reverend Moon.[6]"'.

In 2002 Moon said:

" "The Washington Times will become the instrument in spreading the truth about God to the world."[3]

Investigative journalist Robert Parry wrote about the rise of News World's publications:

"By the 1980s, the likes of South Korean theocrat Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch were pouring billions of dollars into a rapidly expanding right-wing media. From these investments came a plethora of well-financed think tanks, year-round attack groups, and a vertically integrated conservative news media – from books, magazines and newspapers to radio, TV and eventually the Internet. Right-wing activists flocked to Washington and New York for good-paying jobs as journalists and pundits."[7]

News World also owns Insight Magazine, The World and I magazine, Middle East Times, Tiempos del Mundo, Segye Ilbo, Sekai Nippo, Zambezi Times, GolfStyles, The World Peace Times, and United Press International.

[edit] Corporate leaders

  • Chairman and President, News World Communications and United Press International: Chung Hwan Kwak[8]
  • VP and CFO: Keith Cooperrider
  • President and Publisher, The Washington Times: Tom McDevitt

[edit] References

  1. ^ News World Communications; "media arm of Reverend Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church". The Colombia Journalism Review (2003-11-24). Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
  2. ^ Rev. Sun Myung Moon - Our Mission During The Time Of World Transition
  3. ^ a b Washington 2002: The Other Paper
  4. ^ Consortiumnews.com
  5. ^ Google's cache of http://www.unification.net/1996/960102.html as retrieved on Feb 7, 2008 16:16:19 GMT
  6. ^ Rev. Sun Myung Moon - LET US GO OVER THE HILL
  7. ^ Were the Republicans the "party of ideas"?
  8. ^ ZoomInfo Web Profile: Chung Kwak

[edit] External links

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