Topic: WorldNetDaily
Back in 2006, we detailed the links WorldNetDaily had in its early years to an evangelist, talk-radio mogul and accused cult leader named Roy Masters. There was one thing we had trouble nailing down at the time: whether WND was originally headquartered on Masters-owned property in a remote area of Oregon. We knew it was near, but not if it was actually on.
We have our answer now, thanks to WND news editor Joe Kovacs. As part of WND's 15th anniversary, Kovacs tells the story of how he came to WND from "mainstream journalism." He shares this tidbit:
I was finally brought aboard in October of 1999 to be the guy who puts together the WND news pages and write catchy headlines. Moving from South Florida to the northwestern part of America was a big change. There was hardly anything in Josephine County, Ore., that resembled civilization as I knew it. It was like I somehow traveled through a time warp and ended back in the Old West. There was one lonely Burger King present in a town called Grants Pass, so I figured it had at least some connection to the 20th century, which was about to change into the 21st.
The original WND “headquarters” – if you can call it that – was in an extremely remote location called Selma, Ore., adjacent to Cave Junction. The office consisted of a glorified barn situated on Tall Timber Ranch.
Tall Timber Ranch is owned and operated by Masters' organization, the Foundation of Human Understanding. That ownership is confirmed in an appellate court filing denying Masters' FHU a church tax exemption.
Meanwhile, Masters' son Mark continues to operate Talk Radio Network, which syndicates the likes of Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham, Monica Crowley and (of course) Roy Masters.
So thank you, Joe, for filling in a missing puzzle piece on WND. Now, how about explaining why you, Joseph Farah and crew spent so many years hanging out with an accused cult leader?
