Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2020
Scrutiny over influence in global health governance
The foundation's substantial contributions to the World Health Organization and Gavi led to concerns among commentators and academics about the influence of private philanthropy on public-health priorities and institutional independence.
2020
News24 apologizes for false vaccine story
Company response
News24 apologized to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and its readers after publishing a false story claiming Bill Gates wanted to test a vaccine in Africa, and said it had removed the article.
Company response
Apology — News24
News24 published an “unreserved” apology to the “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and our readers for any harm caused by the publication of this false headline”
Remediation — News24
The article has been removed, they said.
Investigation — News24
The newspaper’s chief editor Adriaan Basson said he will request an investigation.
Source excerpt
We wrongly reported that Gates wants to test a “vaccine” in Africa. This is false.
News24 published an “unreserved” apology to the “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and our readers for any harm caused by the publication of this false headline”, admitting that nowhere in Ramaphosa’s caption, nor in the video, does Gates mention testing a vaccine in Africa. The article has been removed, they said.
2011
Criticism of grant-making transparency
A survey of grantees reported that the foundation's goals, decision processes, and communications were sometimes unclear or opaque. The foundation responded with changes to communication and feedback practices.