Members of the Free Speech Alliance and pro-free speech allies are calling on Congress to once and for all ensure that the Biden administration is prohibited from unconstitutionally funding Ministry of Truth operations like leftist internet traffic cop NewsGuard.
MRC and others signed the four-page letter addressed to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), urging congressional leaders to keep Rep. Richard McCormick (R-GA)’s free speech amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The amendment effectively bars the Department of Defense from contracting and funding infamous leftist tech entities like NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) which are intent on crushing right-leaning media entities.
Signed by 36 pro-free speech advocates, the letter drew attention to disturbing revelations miring both NewsGuard (which received a $750,000 payout from the Department of Defense in 2021) and GDI which is also funded by government entities, including the Department of State.
As shown by two MRC Free Speech America studies, NewsGuard’s ratings are heavily skewed in favor of leftist media and consistently target right-leaning outlets with scathingly low ratings. For example, NewsGuard has openly celebrated its collusion with the federal government and has even legitimized communist Chinese state propaganda outlets like The China Daily and the Global Times as being more credible than right-leaning, American-based publications like The Federalist, Newsmax and One America News. Similarly, NewsGuard has rated articles questioning COVID-19 policies while it received funding from Big Pharma, creating what The Washington Times described as a glaring conflict of interest.
GDI has also faced its share of disturbing allegations. Reportedly, GDI has been accused of issuing blacklists of outlets such as the New York Post, The Daily Wire, Real Clear Politics and The Federalist.
Read the Free Speech Alliance’s full letter below:
November 22, 2023
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Senate Republican Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Mike Johnson
Speaker of the House
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Leader McConnell and Speaker Johnson,
Our federal government never should have spent time and taxpayer money on censoring conservatives. Fortunately, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by the U.S. House of Representatives contains a provision to right this wrong. We write to strongly urge you to keep Section 1532 of the House bill, which prohibits funding for the blacklisting of news sources based on their political views.
As Rep. Richard McCormick uncovered during hearings for the NDAA, organizations like NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) work to silence conservative media outlets that disagree with the liberal agenda
.
For example, the Media Research Center found that NewsGuard repeatedly scored liberal sites in the 90+ range while giving an absurd average rating of 66 to conservative sites. GDI is no better, with a history of blacklisting conservative outlets like the New York Post, The Daily Wire, Real Clear Politics, and The Federalist.
Despite NewsGuard's obvious bias the government continues to fund its efforts, bankrolling a payout of $750,000 from the Department of Defense. Similarly, GDI received significant State Department funding, at least until its unconstitutional actions were exposed by the Washington Examiner.
That which government is constitutionally prohibited from doing, it cannot contract with others to do. Please ensure that Section 1532 is preserved in the final version of the NDAA.
L. Brent Bozell III
Founder and President
Media Research Center
Gov. Scott Walker
President
Young America’s Foundation
Charles P. Herring
President
One America News Network
David Bozell
President
For America
Dan Schneider
Vice President of Free Speech America
Media Research Center
Ed Corrigan
CEO, Conservative
Partnership Institute
Penny Nance
President,
Concerned Women for America
Morton Blackwell
Chairman,
Conservative Leadership PAC
Saulius “Saul” Anuzis
President,
60 Plus Association
James L. Martin
Founder/Chairman,
60 Plus Association
Gavin Mario Wax
President,
New York Young Republican Club
Christie-Lee McNally
President,
Raven Strategies
Paul Gessing
President,
Rio Grande Foundation
Lady Brigitte Gabriel
Founder and Chairman,
Act for America
James Taylor
President,
Heartland Institute
Gene Mills
President,
Louisiana Family Forum
Jim Lakely
Vice President,
Heartland Institute
Jon Schweppe
Policy Director,
American Principles Project
John Hinderaker
President,
Center of the American Experiment
Phil Kerpen
President,
American Commitment
C. Preston Noell III
President,
Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.
Gary L. Bauer,
President,
American Values
Floyd Brown
Editor,
Western Journal
Ryan Bomberger
Chief Creative Officer,
The Radiance Foundation
Richard Manning
President,
Americans for Limited Government
Kevin D Freeman
Founder,
National Security Investment Consultant
Craig Shirley
Chairman,
Citizens for the Republic
Elaine Donnelly
President,
Center for Military Readiness
Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman,
Liberty Counsel
John Pierce
Chairman,
National Constitutional Law Union
Patrick M. Brenner
President,
Southwest Public Policy Institute
Rod D. Martin
Founder & CEO,
Martin Capital, Inc.
Kristen A. Ullman
President,
Eagle Forum
Mark Fitzgibbons
President of Corporate Affairs,
American Target Advertising
Lieutenant Colonel Allen B. West (USA, Ret)
Member, 112th US Congress
Executive Director, American
Constitutional Rights Union
Hon. George K Rasley, Jr,
Managing Editor,
ConservativeHQ.com
Deborah Weiss
Attorney and Author
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Congress refuse to authorize funding for NewsGuard. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
