And Now a Word About Our Sponsor. Frank Ahrens reports on increasing concern over corporate sponsorship of public radio. But the biggest threat to editorial content comes not from corporations but from philanthropic foundations, says J. J. Yore, producer for Marketplace, a business journal produced by Public Radio International. Then they can weigh their funding that way. Analysts say that these contributions won't be a choice in the future, but a necessity to remain competitive.
Consumers indicate that, all else being equal, they prefer companies associated with a good cause.
A Wall Street Journal staff commentary points out that according to new figures from the American Association of Fund-Raising Council's Trust for Philanthropy, giving rose more than 10 percent last year. Nikhil Deogun reports on a complaint filed in federal court by four current and former Coca-Cola employees alleging differences between white and black employees in pay, promotions, performance evaluations and dismissals. Peter Waldman reports that four of five trustees of the Bishop Estate in Hawai'i, beset by scandal, have been suspended by a state judge. The fifth, who cooperated with state and federal investigators, resigned on his own. The IRS has been threatening to revoke the estate's tax-exempt status because of the trustees' mismanagement practices.