At the start of the year, a wave of reports emerged spotlighting certain groups that have forged long-standing relationships with major players in the tech industry. Their collaborative efforts have been focused on stifling opposing viewpoints concerning critical topics including COVID-19 vaccines, election fraud, and government overreach in the classrooms.
What remains particularly troubling is the revelation that the State Department has been channeling millions of taxpayer dollars to fund these groups activities.
A coalition of conservative media outlets and journalists are currently battling a network of organizations whose primary goal is to cripple its opponents advertising revenue by labeling their content as “misinformation.”
House GOP Takes on Deep State-Funded Suppression of Right-Wing Media https://t.co/CG4VjwIqZn
— Cindy (@asheborn57) August 16, 2023
At the forefront of this campaign, the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and its partner, the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), have spearheaded efforts to divert prominent advertisers away from news sources that they think contain “harmful, sensitive, or misleading” information.
The British-based Global Disinformation Index and the U.S.-based company NewsGuard have also established lists and rating systems that unfairly undermine the credibility and coerce advertisers into distancing themselves from prominent conservative news platforms.
On Capitol Hill, investigators from the House have raised inquiries with officials from the Biden administration, seeking clarity on the financial support provided for these activities. Additionally, subpoenas have been issued to two of these organizations to determine whether their practices violate antitrust laws.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. James Comer (R-KY) have joined forces in a detailed investigation into the activities of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA).
‘So You’re Not Going To Answer?’: Comer Asks Welensky If CDC Worked With Big Tech To Censor Posts
The focus of their concern centers on claims that these organizations are engaging in activities that aim to “demonetize and censor disfavored speech online.” They also hope to determine if taxpayer funds are being employed to undermine constitutionally protected online speech.
Analysis conducted in December 2021 by the conservative-leaning Media Research Center, examined NewsGuard’s rating system across 55 news sites. The findings revealed that right-leaning outlets received an average score of 66%, while liberal outlets averaged 93%.
Similarly, NewsGuard assigned The Federalist a meager score of 12.5%. This evaluation was partly influenced by The Federalist’s coverage of well-documented concerns regarding the effectiveness of mask mandates.
The engagement of House Republicans in addressing this issue is a positive development that reflects a genuine concern to combat such attacks. However, the realization that government funds are being used for groups who stifle opposing views reveals just how deep the swamp truly is.
