This whole Disinformation Governance Board idea isn’t going over too well. When it was announced that the Biden administration was creating an entire agency whose supposed purpose is to root out and address “disinformation,” folks on both the left and right criticized the move. As time went on and people learned more about the board’s function, people became even more incensed.
In a Senate hearing Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul made Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas wish for a stiff drink as he gave him a grilling that would make even Joe Friday cringe. The senator’s questions helped to expose why the creation of such an entity is not only unnecessary but terrifying to those who value the First Amendment and the spirit behind it.
During the heated exchange, Paul brought up the mass disinformation campaign propagated by the activist media about the Steele dossier, which was found to be Russian disinformation.
“Here’s my question: The FBI concludes that the Steele dossier was full of Russian disinformation. CNN propagated this disinformation gladly for years and years,” the lawmaker said. “The difference, I guess, between your opinion and our opinion is that as despicable as it is that CNN propagated this disinformation, I wouldn’t shut them down, I wouldn’t lecture them, I wouldn’t put it on a government website that CNN is wrong for propagating disinformation.”
“The problem you have is you’re not even willing to admit — I mean, we can’t even have an agreement on what the FBI said was disinformation,” Paul continued.
Paul also pointed out that the board is essentially useless, as it cannot actually do anything about foreign disinformation campaigns.
“You mentioned the Russians the other day when you tried to pivot away from this being about censorship,” Paul said. “Let’s just say … you’ve discovered tomorrow Russian disinformation that is going to hurt our national security, and CNN is broadcasting it, what are you going to do?”
Mayorkas had nothing resembling a cogent reply. But there is even more to this than Paul’s exchange with the Homeland Security secretary.
Critics of the board – especially conservatives – have speculated that its true purpose is to try to tamp down on right-leaning views on Big Tech platforms. Democrats’ frantic reaction to the news that Tesla CEO Elon Musk might soon own Twitter inadvertently exposed the reality that they are intent on suppressing conservative viewpoints online. But one of the biggest tells in this story is the appointment of Nina Jankowicz as the head of the board.
Jankowicz, a supposed disinformation expert, has done her share of spreading disinformation. The new Ministry of Truth czar previously spread the lie that the scandal related to Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian disinformation, a claim made by numerous members of the activist media without evidence. She also defended the now-debunked Steele dossier. It appears she is rather selective when it comes to identifying deliberate attempts to deceive the American public.
If the Biden administration were truly sincere about addressing disinformation, it would not have appointed a leader who has trafficked in disinformation without even bothering to acknowledge their folly after it was revealed. This and other factors demonstrate why Americans should not take seriously the White House’s assertions that the new Ministry of Truth is an innocent initiative designed to make sure people are informed.
Over the past year, we have learned that when any high-profile leftist uses the words “misinformation” or “disinformation,” what they are referring to is any content, viewpoint, statement, or argument that contradicts their ideology and preferred narratives about the issues of the day. The agency claims it is only focused on foreign sources of misinformation coming from bad actors in South America and Russia.
However, this administration has already shown it is willing to pressure private companies to censor right-leaning viewpoints on their platforms. Last year, the White House flagged posts containing “misinformation” about the COVID-19 pandemic and pushed Facebook to remove them. This is one of several instances in which the White House has pushed social media companies to intensify their censorship efforts.
It is hard to imagine that this agency will continue focusing only on foreign disinformation efforts. It will only be a matter of time before it starts targeting Americans – and you know which Americans they will place in their crosshairs, right? This is yet another action the Biden administration has taken that will not work in its favor. But unfortunately for them, they don’t seem to have realized it yet.
