Who is criticizing Jane Mayer's reporting on the Koch Brothers? The usual Koch defenders, of course!

After Jane Mayer’s revelations that “Father of Koch Brothers Helped Build Nazi Oil Refinery, Book Says” hit the New York Times, the Koch propaganda machine spun into action—with the predictable rhythm of a Nazi oil refinery! First, the company posted a lengthy corporate rebuttal that a journalist described on Twitter as a “non-denial denial” (which didn’t even address the allegation that Charles and David Koch tried to blackmail their own brother); then, some of the same Koch-funded and supported media outlets that spread FUD on climate change have mobilized with misleading defenses of the Kochs. Fortunately, we and others have called the propagandists out for their obvious bias for their benefactors.

John Hinderaker posted the following story to his blog (Powerline Blog) and on Twitter:

x Jane Mayer and NY Times dive into the gutter to attack Koch Industries falsely. Disgusting journalism: https://t.co/vmW1HDkFQ1 @powerlineus — John Hinderaker (@jhinderaker) January 13, 2016

Our response:

The Daily Caller ran a story entitled “The NY Times’ Koch-Nazi Connection Has More Holes Than The French Navy”, prompting a comment (which we are unable to independently verify) from Connor Gibson:

Did you really just downplay the importance of one of HItler's major refineries being built a few years before he invaded the rest of Europe? As if fuel wasn't an absolutely critical piece of infrastructure in that regard? The Daily Caller News Foundation has taken payments from Koch for the last several years, maybe your editor didn't tell you, or maybe DC doesn't bother to pretend it follows standards of journalism. You defend him every time he, his company or his political activity is criticized. It's this strange combination of sad and amusing. Is your career fulfilling, shilling and defending the world's fifth richest men? What is it about the Daily Caller's inability to disclosure that it is funded by Charles Koch? And why can't DC seem to *not* speak up in Koch's defense at every opportunity? You behave like consultants, not reporters. Way to go.

The Daily Caller News Foundation also happens to be listed as a “Partner Organization” of the Charles Koch Institute.

Just a reminder:

“The best defense against bullshit Is vigilance. So if you smell something, say something!” — Jon Stewart

Even without seeing an advance copy, we highly recommend that Daily Kos readers read Jane Mayer’s new book “Dark Money”—the source the New York Times credits for the allegations in this article. Mayer’s 2010 article “Covert Operations” is widely credited as the first in-depth investigative reporting on the Koch political network. It prompted what Gawker reported to be a “Desperate Campaign to Discredit Jane Mayer”. Allegations such as that a “private investigator was hired to dig up dirt on Mayer in the wake of the Koch brothers story” have had a chilling effect on coverage of the Kochs, and are one of the reasons that none of our members are willing to reveal their offline identities. We salute Jane Mayer’s courage!