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The Department of Homeland Security put a “pause” Monday on its disinformation board after the truth czar, who resigned Wednesday, came under fire for spreading disinformation herself, The Washington Post reported.
President Biden's "Disinformation Governance Board" has been aborted a couple of weeks after its birth.
The reason?
Disinformation.
Be informed, not misled.
The Washington Post said yesterday, "On the morning of April 27, the Department of Homeland Security announced the creation of the first Disinformation Governance Board with the stated goal to 'coordinate countering misinformation related to homeland security.' The Biden administration tapped Nina Jankowicz, a well-known figure in the field of fighting disinformation and extremism, as the board’s executive director."
The Post noted, "In naming the 33-year-old Jankowicz to run the newly created board, the administration chose someone with extensive experience in the field of disinformation, which has emerged as an urgent and important issue."
The Post continues in lockstep with much of the mainstream media yesterday, making the case that "misinformation"---the evil Jankowitz was called upon to confront, "actually destroyed her and the governance board she was to lead."
In the meantime, DHS is defending Jankowitcz against what WAPO calls "attacks from the right base on past positions and social media posts, including casting doubt on the legitimacy of the New York Post's reporting on Hunter Biden's laptop before the 2020 election---which is now not even in question."
"Attacks" from the right based on the past positions she has held.
Apparently asking is attacking.
A lot of people had a lot of questions---myself included given her past statements.
On May 2, 2022, I asked in this column if this new governance board would be Biden's version of George Orwell's "Ministry of Truth" in his dystopian novel "1984."
I wasn't the only one asking.
I said:
The new board will operate under the authority of the Department of Homeland security with a special focus on Russia and “irregular migration."Gateway continued, "As we have seen over the past 6-plus years now, the term ‘Russian misinformation’ is frequently used as a wide catch-all that includes most of what goes against the liberal establishment, so the fact that they are specifically targeting this kind of 'misinformation' is that much more concerning."And they said this: "The disinformation board will be led by executive director Nina Jankowicz, who, as Posobic reveals in a series of tweets, is an anti-free speech crusader and committed member of the radical left. She has even made her stance clear about crucial issues like the censorship of the Hunter Biden laptop and the stolen, rigged 2020 election. Unsurprisingly, Jankowicz has publicly slandered 2020 election concerns as damaging lies, backed the proven-false claim that the laptop from hell was Russian misinformation, and openly admitted to being just as concerned about “domestic misinformation” as she is about “foreign misinformation.”In other words, they're saying she's the worst (or best) person for the job, depending on which side you are on.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates told Fox News, "Nina Jankowicz has been subjected to unjustified and vile personal attacks and physical threats. In congressional hearings and in media interviews, the Secretary has repeatedly defended her as eminently qualified and underscored the importance of the Department’s disinformation work, and he will continue to do so."
A few days ago 20 Republican-led states threatened legal action against DHS and urged the president to disband the "unAmerican" disinformation board because it would be chilling to Americans' free speech.
The White House sharply criticized the board's opponents while insisting that there was nothing wrong with the board's goals.
Bates told Fox News yesterday,
"These smears leveled by bad-faith, rightwing actors against a deeply qualified expert and against efforts to better combat human smuggling and domestic terrorism are disgusting, and the administration has forcefully spoken out against them repeatedly. Neither Nina Jankowicz nor the board has anything to do with censorship or with removing content from anywhere. Their role is to ensure that national security officials are updated on how misinformation is affecting the threat environment. She has strong credentials and a history of calling out misinformation from both the left and the right."
The problem, however, was that nobody believed him. Everyone knew what they were up to.
- Censorship
- Control
- Retaining power
Nina and her group didn't have to "remove content." By merely labeling something as "misinformation" or "disinformation" it would have signaled the press and the social media people to block it.
The public first learned about the Disinformation Governance Board when DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas mentioned it during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing in April. This was two days after news broke of a deal for Elon Musk to purchase Twitter, which drew concern from the Left that a lack of censorship would lead to the spread of false information.
The conservative embraces freedom of speech. The left is terrified by it.
It has been said, "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." That's true, but some historians say nowhere in the writings of Thomas Jefferson is that statement found, although it is most often attributed to him. He believed it, but did he actually say it?
In a speech by John Philpot Curran upon his election as Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1790, it is recorded that he said, "The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance."
Abolitionist Wendell Phillips also said it in a speech given in 1852.
One thing is certain because God said it:
1 Peter 5:8: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
Be Informed. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Discerning. Be Prayerful.