Posted on 02/22/2023 12:36:54 PM PST by Twotone
A State Department-backed group is severing its connections with a disinformation index group also backed by progressive megadonor George Soros following reports about the group's efforts to muzzle conservative media outlets by blacklisting them with advertisers.
The National Endowment for Democracy, a private foundation created by Congress whose funding is part of the State Department budget, said it will no longer provide grants to the Global Disinformation Index, according to The Washington Times.
"Recently, we became aware that one of our grantees, the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), was engaged in an initiative, funded by a different donor, that focused on specific U.S. media outlets," the NED told the newspaper Tuesday.
"We recognize the important work GDI has done with NED support in other countries … . However, given our commitment to avoid the perception that NED is engaged in any work domestically, directly or indirectly, we will no longer provide financial support to GDI."
The NED gave $250,000 in grants to the risk-ratings group to identify and combat disinformation in China and other authoritarian regimes.
The GDI's stated mission includes assessing "disinformation risk in media markets."
Critics say the group has sought to censor right-of-center voices with a bias-driven ratings system designed to sow distrust in media outlets that do not toe the progressive line.
At least one advertising company using GDI blocked advertising money from reaching conservative websites, according to the Washington Examiner.
Soros reportedly funded the index through the Open Society Foundations, his primary grant-making program.
The GDI last year rated the "10 riskiest online news outlets" as the New York Post, Reason, RealClearPolitics, Daily Wire, the Blaze, the Media Research Center, One America News Network, the American Conservative, the Federalist, Newsmax and Spectator — all popular conservative/libertarian sites.
As soon as I hear someone use the term “disinformation” I know they’re spreading disinformation-—or lies!
I’m saddened Free Republic didn’t make the list.
FR is on the list. Just not shown in article.
Double Bag Barf Alert:
https://www.disinformationindex.org/files/gdi_us-mmr-22.pdf
• The ten sites with the lowest level of
disinformation risk were NPR, AP News, The
New York Times, ProPublica, Insider, USA
Today, The Washington Post, BuzzFeed
News, Wall Street Journal, and HuffPost.
• The ten riskiest sites published content with
far fewer fact-based Ledes and far more
Bias, Negative targeting and Sensational
language than the rest of the sample.
• The sites with the highest level of disinformation
risk were the New York Post, Reason Magazine,
RealClearPolitics, The Daily Wire, TheBlaze,
OAN, The American Conservative, The Federalist,
Newsmax, and The American Spectator.
They got caught. That’s all. They’ll find another one to support their agenda.
Conservatives exist beyond the US borders.
In fact, the vast majority of the worlds population would be considered very conservative
The FedGov Ministry of Truth is just Whack-a-Mole.
-fJRoberts-
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.