Following the suspension of funding from the UK government, the British newspaper of record The Times of London, They have joined a chorus of left-wing criticism of the Global Disinformation Index as “self-styled watchdogs” suppressing independent journalism and subjecting it to “ideological bias.”
In the UK, organizations such as the Soros-backed Global Disinformation Index (GDI) have been shown to be having a negative impact on press freedom, and that rather than acting as neutral arbiters of information, so-called fact-checkers and counter-disinformation There is a growing recognition that intelligence organizations have a role to play. They are nothing but activists passionate about advancing their agenda.
It was such sentiments expressed by times of london editorial team of article “Self-appointed monitors of news accuracy, such as the Global Disinformation Index, can undermine objective reporting by penalizing sites with which they disagree,” the magazine said in a statement Monday. he declared.
“GDI describes itself as an institution dedicated to promoting “neutrality, independence, and transparency,” but in reality it is nothing more than an ideological bias that thwarts valuable independent-minded journalism. ” said the British newspaper of record. Added.
criticism from times He follows former British Prime Minister and current Foreign Secretary Sir David Cameron. announcement Last month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it would stop funding the Global Disinformation Index, saying it had failed to “defend values” such as freedom of speech.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Department has previously committed £2.6m of UK taxpayers’ money to GDI over three years starting in 2019 as part of efforts to counter so-called disinformation and conspiracy theories from Russia about the Ukraine war. I was investing. Issues surrounding elections and climate change. I also received GDI backing From the European Union and the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
GDI initially claimed it was seeking to expose “intentionally false content intended to deceive,” but later expanded its mission to include cracking down on what it vaguely calls “adversarial narratives.” Now included. Claire Melford, founder of GDI, is a believer in the World Economic Forum and previously worked for George Soros’ Open Society Foundations. explained This means that the Global Disinformation Index is now able to target topics deemed to be ‘harmful’ or ‘divisive’.
“The eerie way in which its mandate is changing illustrates the sinister irony of the counter-disinformation industry: In setting itself up as a neutral arbiter of accuracy, the influence of its own biases There is a danger that new forms of disinformation will be created.” times I wrote it on Monday.
BBC refuses to respond to allegations that its disinformation fact checkers are spreading disinformationhttps://t.co/SQvyjbCYLg
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 17, 2023
GDI has made the centrist Unherald website a dynamic site for conservative news organizations, including Breitbart News, The Blaze, The Daily Wire, Judicial Watch, The Washington Times, RealClearPolitics, and The Washington Post. The blacklisting caused anger among British politicians. Examiner, etc.
Companies blacklisted as purported purveyors of “disinformation” are facing advertising boycotts, and advertising companies are increasingly placing ads on websites through third-party internet companies. Many rely on GDI and other supposedly neutral fact checkers to determine whether or not they are. The site is suitable for hosting advertisements.
“These companies act as invisible gatekeepers in the vast system of online advertising,” said Freddie Sayers, editor-in-chief of Unhard. Said After his website was blacklisted last month.
Unhard blacklisted the site for promoting “anti-LGBTQI+ discourse” and hosting so-called “gender critical” feminists such as dissenting author Julie Bindel and former professor Kathleen Stock. He claimed that he had been informed by GDI of the decision to list it on the website. Transgender issues from a left-wing feminist perspective.
“The GDI appears to equate ‘gender-critical’ beliefs, i.e. claims that biological sex differences exist, with ‘disinformation’ – such beliefs are specially protected under UK law. , despite the fact that a majority of the population holds this view,” Sayers said.
After being blacklisted by the Global Disinformation Index, the website claimed Advertising revenue has fallen to 2% of what it used to be.
Here is a full-length video report examining the mysterious “Global Disinformation Index” and how it censors political speech across Europe and the United States. I want more people to know about it, so please share it. pic.twitter.com/vz2cz36q2v
— Freddie Sayers (@freddiesayers) April 17, 2024
The UK is not the only place where GDI is facing a backlash. In February, Breitbart News accused the US State Department-funded National Endowment for Democracy (NED) of violating its obligation to operate only outside the US by targeting US news organizations. It was reported that funding from the organization had been discontinued. Republican House Speaker and NED board member Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) reportedly took the lead in cutting funding.
“The State Department should not be funding woke organizations that seek to censor conservative media and strip them of their revenues,” said Congresswoman Stefanik. “House Republicans will insist on our oversight of State Department funding for these types of organizations.”
Apart from the chilling effect on the news industry and the economic fallout felt by conservative media organizations, the Global Disinformation Index may even have influenced certain elections.
Last month, 1792 Exchange President Paul Fitzpatrick told Breitbart News Daily host Alex Marlowe that GDI was “active in the months leading up to the midterm elections” in the United States. Ta.
“So we don’t know how much information was blocked leading up to the midterm elections. Could that have changed the outcome of some of the close races? It’s very possible. So GDI is essentially an information suffocation tool,” Fitzpatrick said.
WEF: EU chief von der Leyen calls for censorship of ‘industrial-scale disinformation’ at Davoshttps://t.co/gOgXjTfVeq
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 17, 2024
