The Christian connection: Ties between International Business ...

I have to admit that when?journalism prof Dan Gillmor and his commenters raised the connection between the International Business Times and various Christian organizations, I didn?t put that much stock in it and saw it as more of a red herring. My theory was the financial backing for ?IB Times?was more likely to be coming from a hedge fund/proprietary trading company looking for access to lock-ups than a bunch of god squadders.

It seemed to me that while Etienne Uzac, Johnathan Davis and Dev Pragad might have been involved with Christian publications and ad services, there was nothing to show they were activists themselves. It was just business, as they say. ?And, as an added benefit, the whole Christian thing could come in handy as a cover, given that some people tend to think a religious connection explains everything. It just goes without saying that a bunch of wacky Evangelicals in search of world media domination would unthinkingly hand over millions to fund a crappy news organization. Why not? Makes complete sense. No need to look any further ? for a funder with a real motive like JED Capital which bankrolled Need to Know News (NTKN) and Vigilant Futures (now Vigilant Global), which paid the bills for CEP News.

But ?as I continue to look for the real reason for the funding of?International Business Times, I have, I must admit, started to wonder if I?m not the proverbial general fighting my last war. A source persuaded me to look again at IB Times? connections to Olivet University. And I have to say whatever?s going on between the two of them, seems to be a lot more complicated than just a secret hedge fund/ proprietary trader backer relationship.

First of all, Olivet University is a complete sham. Its takeover of Bethany University is exhibit 1 and its website, which could have been put together by the staff of the Onion, is exhibit 2. And then there?s the fact that it has another, cough, campus in Montreal. Let?s call that exhibit 3. Not to mention the so-called faculty?s diploma mill degrees ? exhibit 4 ? and, it just goes on and on. It is completely bizarre.

However, certain things are clear:

1. No one?s trying especially hard to hide the Olivet/ IB Times connection. Their sites are registered by the same people, addresses and directors are shared, and IB Times staff teach at Olivet University, whatever that means given there might not even be any students to teach. Take the case of the Montreal fake campus, whose director is listed as Propita Shimray?who?moonlights for IB Times. The contact phone number and address also belongs to Verecom, which advertises its services in illiterate ads on CraigsList?and has relatively longstanding connections to IB Times and its founders. WTF!!??
2. IB Times is paying to hire people and, in certain cases, it?s probably paying quite a bit.
3. It has an army of editorial people in Bangalore, according to sources at the company.
4. Etienne Uzac pretends to be rich even though he is not the one controlling the purse strings.
5. Johnathan Davis, who had no background in journalism before he hooked up with the IB Times, was director of the journalism program at Olivet . The current head, Kenneth Chan, is equally unqualified.
6. Tracy Davis, the campus-shopping academic dean at Olivet University, shares the same common last name as journalism-teaching Johnathan, but has?no academic credentials that Olivet thinks are worth mentioning.
7. Having already agreed to buy one university campus, Olivet University went to look at another.
8. Olivet University has never explained where it get its money, suggesting that it comes, at least in part, from?online businesses that report on Christian topics, which is risible given the state of the publishing industry.

Taking all this into account, my current working theory is that Etienne Uzac, Johnathan Davis and Dev Pragad are a bunch of on-the-make guys who, for an as yet unknown reason, teamed up with the crew behind fictitious Olivet University. Olivet, the IB Times and all the other associated businesses (see below) are a front for the real cash-generating operation, whatever it is. My favourite hypothesis is still some kind of financial trading operation but, at this point, I?m certainly open to other suggestions.

Companies associated with the IB Times courtesy of davidianwatcher.blogspot.ca

Given the craziness and extent of the scam and all the various sham operations,whoever?s behind all this and bankrolling it appears to have a very interesting imagination and maybe even a decent sense of humour. (Ed: They could just be sociopaths.)

Stay tuned as I keep covering the story and, in the mean time, check out this relevant and enlightening article on Olivet University?s modus operandi.

Thanks to those of you who have contacted me with information and please keep it coming. You can reach me at ann.brocklehurst@gmail.com. Confidentiality guaranteed.

Related posts:

1. Internet chitchat about Etienne Uzac and Enrico Guillaume of International Business Times (IBTimes.com)
2. International Business Times (IBTimes.com) is yet another curious news organization
3. What do NTKN, Econolive, World Business Press and CEP News have in common?

Tagged as: Etienne Uzac, Fake news agencies, International Business Times (IBTimes.com), Olivet University

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