Monsanto's whored-out journalists exposed: Amy Harmon, Keith Kloor, Tamar Haspel and more

Tuesday, January 12, 2016 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: Monsanto, journalist whores, Keith Kloor

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(NaturalNews) Connecting the dots between the writers of pro-agrichemical pseudo-journalistic pieces and the funding that fuels their endless propaganda isn't always easy work. But thanks to the efforts of the U.S. Right to Know group, which advocates for mandatory labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), we now have the inside scoop about a few prominent journalists who have apparently sold their souls to the chemical industry in exchange for a cash payout.

A new report focuses on three individuals in particular – Amy Harmon, Keith Kloor and Tamar Haspel – all of whom seem to support the unmitigated use of unlabeled GMOs in the food supply, and who also can't understand why people oppose hidden biotechnology in their food. The reason for these positions, of course, is that all of these individuals are bankrolled by the biotech industry, and now we have solid proof.

1) Amy Harmon is a reporter for The New York Times (NYT), and has won several awards for her work in "explanatory reporting." She's also connected to the infamous Jon Entine of Forbes.com, who we earlier reported is a domestic abuser and a discredited apologist for GMOs and crop chemicals. Entine actually mentioned Harmon's name in an email exchange, noting that:

"I think I've talked Amy Harmon into doing a Hawaii Hawaii story... and I gave her your and Kirby's email information, so she may call at some point if she indeed pursues this."

The email was sent to a woman by the name of Renee Kester, and refers to Kirby Kester, the president of an agrichemical industry front group by the name of "Hawaii Crop Improvement Association." Not long after this exchange, Harmon published a story in the NYT supposedly setting the record straight on GMO safety – all it really was, though, was a shill piece promoting GMOs.

Harmon was also asked to speak at a conference funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which was also intends to promote the use of GMOs.

2) Keith Kloor is a freelance journalist who has written for a number of popular news outlets including Slate, Nature and Science Insider. His many pro-GMO articles have also appeared on Jon Entine's website Genetic Literacy Project, which is a pro-Monsanto front resource espouses corporate talking points to support GMOs.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents obtained by U.S. Right to Know reveal that Kloor is a "very good friend" of Entine's, as well as other pro-GMO shills who work on behalf of corporations like Monsanto to defend the reputation of GMOs and crop chemicals. Based on an email sent to Kloor and a number of other pro-GMO advocates back in 2014, it is clear that he is very closely aligned with the industry.

The email, which was sent by pro-GMO advocate Dr. Channapatna Prakash, included Kloor as the only journalist in the chain. Other recipients of the email included names like Henry Miller, Kevin Folta, and others we've recently exposed for pro-GMO corruption.

3) Tamar Haspel is a columnist with The Washington Post who has repeatedly published articles praising GMOs. Her work has also appeared in Entine's Genetic Literacy Project database.

Haspel participated in a conference coordinated by John Entine and his colleague Cami Ryan, and was led by the Genetic Literacy Project and Academics Review, another agrichemical front group. When asked about her financial relationship with the industry which she has repeatedly endorsed through her work, Haspel said, "I speak and moderate panels and debates often, and it's work I'm paid for."

When asked precisely how much money she's received, she replied, "Since any group believing biotech has something to offer is a 'front group,' plenty!"

Sources for this article include:

GMWatch.org

NaturalNews.com

GMO.news