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It's hard to imagine a more damning assessment of a sacred cow than 

ProPublica's expose of the American Red Cross

For several years, we've heard complaints about things like money donated for earthquake relief in Haiti that went unspent, but the Red Cross explanations that they were focused on long-term projects more than short-term help made some sense, even if they conflicted with the urgent e-mails the Red Cross sends out for cash in the aftermath of disasters.

It was more about public relations, ProPublica says.

This assertion isn't inconsistent with gripes I heard from volunteers with other organizations during the Red River flooding of 2009. "They show up when the cameras show up," one aid worker told me as she handed out bologna sandwiches and water in a neighborhood where the Red Cross wasn't set up.

The Red Cross acknowledged that its disaster relief trucks were assigned for public relations purposes during Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey. But it didn't say how many.

A former disaster expert who worked on Hurricane Sandy reported the problems to organization executives.

“I was quite bluntly told that they didn't care – it was the plan that was going to make the ARC [American Red Cross] look the best to the local politicians,” he told ProPublica.

He says he doesn't donate to the Red Cross anymore.

NewsCut

Bob Collins

Author

It's hard to imagine a more damning assessment of a sacred cow than ProPublica's expose of the American Red Cross.

The Red Cross’ latest disaster: itself

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