Gates Foundation

The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has gotten a lot of good press or what media critics call a free pass from the press. But how can you knock a guy who is giving away some 90 percent of his money? Not an easy feat by any standards. However, investigative journalists are looking at the harm some of the foundation's projects are doing.

Besides funding research to fight disease that plague third world nations, the foundation is investing in companies that run power plants, which can pollute and cause respiratory disease. In fact, the foundation has been investing in lots of energy companies to earn more money to pay for vaccines and research.

And therein lies the contradiction.

Energy companies are not known for their environmental friendliness. But they generate great returns on investment. The cauldron becomes: should the Gates foundation shy away from what is otherwise a good investment or would it be better for the foundation to invest in solar power and fuel cells? Just where is the greater good?

Read the LA Times investigative story here.