True Ties

About Robert Bryce

Robert Bryce works for the Manhattan Institute, a think tank that has received more than $6 million in donations tied to the fossil fuel industry. He has written numerous critical books and articles about renewable energy.

He uses his innocuous title as a fellow and association with the Manhattan Institute to maintain the veneer of impartiality and to give his opinion in major newspapers, including the New York Times.

Mr. Bryce’s expertise is definitely questionable, but his impartiality is not – his money comes from fossil fuels.

The Manhattan Institute, Mr. Bryce’s employer, has received millions of dollars from donors tied to the fossil fuel industry. [Source:Manhattan Institute IRS 990 Forms]

Source

Amount

Description

Charles Lambe Foundation

$1,325,000

Controlled by the Koch family, owners of Koch Industries, a major fossil fuel conglomerate

David H. Koch Foundation

$50,000

David Koch is the co-owner of Koch Industries, a major fossil fuel conglomerate

Earhart Foundation

$485,000

The Earhart Foundation was founded with profits from the White Star Oil Company

Carthage Foundation

$693,000

Controlled by the Scaife family, with financial ties to the coal and oil industries.

Sarah Scaife Foundation

$3,815,000

Controlled by the Scaife family, with financial ties to the coal and oil industries.

Scaife Family Foundationn

$25,000

Controlled by the Scaife family, with financial ties to the coal and oil industries.

ExxonMobil

$315,000

Largest oil refiner in the world, multi-billion dollar  oil company.

Total

$6,708,000

 

 

Here’s how Robert Bryce has been described:

As the chart below shows, Mr. Bryce has been successful in hiding his ties to fossil fuel money from news outlets and their readers. This means that he is free to attack clean energy while readers are led to believe he is an unbiased source.

Outlet

Description

New York Times

Robert Bryce, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, is the author, most recently, of “Power Hungry: The Myths of ‘Green’ Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future.”

USA Today

Author of Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of "Energy Independence”

Christian Science Monitor

A senior energy policy fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative, market-oriented think tank in New York City

CNN

No identifier

Austin American-Statesman

Austin journalist and author


Sign the Petition

Dear NY Times Public Editor Arthur S. Brisbane:

Guest writers like Robert Bryce mislead the public by offering expert opinion under innocuous titles like “Senior Fellow.” But often, guest writers like Mr. Bryce, and his employer the Manhattan Institute, receive millions of dollars from industries like fossil fuels to fund their work.

Read the full letter...

While I believe that all voices should be heard, the New York Times can end this confusion and ensure better transparency.

I’m asking that you have guest contributors disclose their true ties to the industries and issues they write about.

As I form my opinion on issues that matter to me, I believe that everyone has the right be heard; I just want to know the true ties funding their speech.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

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Media Inquiries:
Scott Peterson, Checks and Balances Project, scott@checksandbalancesproject.org, (703) 772-6688