Disinformation is just information Democrats don’t like
Conn Carroll
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My colleague Gabe Kaminsky has done a fantastic job of documenting how an international nongovernmental organization with two United States-affiliated nonprofit organizations, the Global Disinformation Index, has created a blacklist of conservative websites, including the Washington Examiner, that it uses to pressure advertisers to stop advertising on those sites.
The sole purpose of this organization, according to its website, is to “remove the financial incentive” to create “disinformation” by putting conservative news organizations out of business.
THE MERITOCRACY HAS NO CLOTHES
But how does the GDI define “disinformation”? Merriam-Webster defines “disinformation” as “false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth.”
The key part of this definition has been highlighted. When most people use the word “disinformation,” they mean “false information.” That is not how the GDI sees it. Here is how the GDI defines disinformation:
“Disinformation is more than overly simple, false dichotomies such as true vs. false or left vs. right. GDI views disinformation through the lens of adversarial narrative conflict. … Most importantly, these adversarial narratives create a risk of harm. This definition transcends false binaries and identifies disinformation explicitly by adversarial narrative topic, such as anti-immigrant, misogyny, anti-vaccination, etc.”
The GDI has completely abandoned any distinction between true and false. All that matters for the GDI is that a piece of information contradicts the preferred liberal narrative. Even perfectly true information — if it makes liberals uncomfortable, then it is “disinformation,” according to the GDI.
The GDI has even labeled me as disinformation. My crime? This post titled, “Why are liberal women so unhappy?” Here is what the GDI highlighted from the piece as being dangerously misogynist:
“Looking to explain why liberal women are so unhappy, National Marriage Project Director Brad Wilcox notes that no demographic is happier with their family life than conservative women. Over 60% of conservative women say they are completely satisfied with their family life, compared to 50% of conservative men and just 35% of liberal women.”
“Wilcox argues that liberal women are unhappy because they believe independence, freedom, and work will make them happier than marriage and family obligations. And that is no doubt a big part of it.”
That’s it. That’s all it takes. Citing completely factual poll results from the American Family Survey is apparently misogynistic disinformation worthy of being demonetized.
When the Biden administration funds the GDI, it isn’t trying to safeguard democracy or promote the free exchange of ideas. It is trying to shut down all dissenting voices. Something to keep in mind the next time you hear a Democrat complain about conservative disinformation.
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