State Department funded German individuals to introduce censorship and propaganda in American schools
The U.S. State Department has been funding censorship practitioners from Germany to train American teachers on how to combat ”disinformation.” These practitioners come from a country that doesn’t have the same freedom of speech protections as the United States. The training sessions, called “Medialogues on Propaganda,” were organized by an advocacy group that promotes similar laws in the U.S. and shares officials and finances with a for-profit anti-disinformation firm. The State Department paid for these trainings, which were mostly created by German activists. The goal was to teach teachers how to “inoculate” students against disinformation and promote “media literacy.” However, the term “media literacy” was used to discredit media sources that questioned the government or offended liberals, while encouraging students to create their own media that parroted progressive activism.
The investigation by the Media Research Center (MRC) revealed that the University of Rhode Island, an activist nonprofit, and a for-profit censorship firm were all connected and supported each other. The Rhode Island Lab, which is supposed to be an academic institution, partnered with the activist group and provided credibility to their partisan activities. The nonprofit Media Literacy Now (MLN) played a central role in the project as the “fiscal sponsor.” MLN advocates for mandatory media literacy training in schools and has influenced 18 states to pass laws on this training. They see media literacy as a tool to create a society that promotes racial equity, social justice, and true democracy.
The State Department sessions were used to promote products from the for-profit firm Ad Fontes and NewsGuard. The Daily Wire is currently suing the State Department for promoting NewsGuard, which has been used to economically punish media outlets with disfavored political opinions. The seminars were conducted by three entities, including Germany’s University of Würzburg’s Media Education & Educational Technology Lab and the University of Rhode Island’s Media Education Lab. The Rhode Island Lab has a history of promoting liberal censorship efforts and even held a seminar on teaching students about the limits of freedom of expression.
MLN, the nonprofit involved in the project, lobbies for mandatory media literacy training in schools to fight “misinformation” and “online radicalization.” They believe that media literacy can bring about cultural change and promote racial equity, social justice, and true democracy. However, their mission seems to be more about suppressing speech that they deem factually flawed or disagreeable. The founder of the Rhode Island Lab, Renee Hobbs, attempted to push federal legislation that would provide subsidies for anti-disinformation work like hers. This legislation was based on the conspiracy theory that Russians caused Trump to win in 2016.
The State Department-funded seminars featured speakers from Europe, including Daisy Kidd from Tactical Tech, a group partnered with left-wing organizations funded by George Soros. Kidd promoted a “Data Detox Kit” that instructed teachers to install NewsGuard and use left-leaning fact-checkers like Snopes and PolitiFact. The kit discouraged the use of the term “fake news” popularized by Trump. Another speaker, from a European group called MEET Tolerance, lamented the spread of ideologies based on hatred on the internet. MEET promotes a book called “The New Racism: Conservatives and the Ideology of the Tribe” and teaches children to become “media producers” advocating for intercultural values and social justice.
The interconnected “disinformation” groups involved in this project include MLN, Ad Fontes, and the University of Rhode Island’s Media Education Lab. Ad Fontes assigns “bias” ratings to news sources and charges tech firms for the list, which they use to steer viewers away from supposedly unreliable content. MLN has a strategic affiliation with Ad Fontes, and Ad Fontes directs a portion of its income to MLN. MLN advocates for laws that would benefit Ad Fontes and similar firms. The president of MLN’s board is also the director of communications for Ad Fontes.
The State Department-funded seminars were used to train American teachers, who then created lesson plans for children. These lesson plans promoted Ad Fontes and other left-wing causes. American teachers were paid by left-wing foundations to implement these lesson plans. The documents obtained through FOIA show that the founder of the Rhode Island Lab, Renee Hobbs, often blurs the line between ”media literacy” and progressive politics. She used the State Department seminar to bring her version of “media literacy” to Austin, Texas’s police academy, where she warned against promoting stereotypes and raising an American flag for slain police officers.
The Media Research Center suggests that parents should inquire about the use of Ad Fontes and NewsGuard in their schools, state legislatures should ban funding for these organizations, and attorneys general should investigate whether activist groups pushing disinformation laws are receiving kickbacks from censorship firms. The State Department’s funding of propaganda seminars aimed at Americans is concerning, especially considering the German experts who were lecturing to an American audience. The State Department claims that the funding was to support the participation of German participants, but it doesn’t change the fact that the target audience was American teachers.
How does the close association between the advocacy group promoting “Medialogues on Propaganda” and a for-profit anti-disinformation firm raise questions about hidden agendas behind the training sessions?
Ominence warriors” to combat online hate speech.
The investigation conducted by the Media Research Center has raised serious concerns about the State Department’s funding of censorship practitioners from Germany to train American teachers. The fact that these practitioners come from a country that does not possess the same freedom of speech protections as the United States is alarming and raises questions about the government’s intentions.
The training sessions, named ”Medialogues on Propaganda,” were organized by an advocacy group that promotes similar laws in the U.S. and shares officials and finances with a for-profit anti-disinformation firm. This close association between the advocacy group and the for-profit firm is unnerving and suggests a hidden agenda behind the training sessions.
Funded by the State Department, these trainings were largely created by German activists. The objective was to educate teachers on how to combat disinformation and promote media literacy among students. However, it appears that the term “media literacy” was used to discredit media sources that questioned the government or offended liberals. Instead of encouraging critical thinking, students were encouraged to create media that echoed progressive activism.
According to the findings of the Media Research Center, the University of Rhode Island, an activist nonprofit, and a for-profit censorship firm were all interconnected and supported each other. The Rhode Island Lab, which is supposed to be an academic institution, partnered with the activist group to lend credibility to their partisan activities. Additionally, the nonprofit Media Literacy Now played a central role in the project as the “fiscal sponsor.” They have influenced 18 states to pass laws mandating media literacy training in schools. However, their true motive seems to be promoting a society that aligns with their political agenda, including racial equity, social justice, and what they view as true democracy.
Disturbingly, the State Department sessions were used to promote products from the for-profit firm Ad Fontes and NewsGuard. In fact, The Daily Wire is currently suing the State Department for endorsing NewsGuard, which has been known to economically punish media outlets with disfavored political opinions. The seminars were conducted by three entities, including Germany’s University of Würzburg’s Media Education & Educational Technology Lab and the University of Rhode Island’s Media Education Lab. The history of the Rhode Island Lab indicates that it has been involved in promoting liberal censorship efforts, even holding a seminar on teaching students about the limitations of freedom of expression.
The nonprofit organization, MLN, which was also involved in the project, actively lobbies for mandatory media literacy training in schools in order to combat “misinformation” and “online radicalization.” However, it appears that their primary mission is to suppress speech that they consider factually flawed or disagreeable. The founder of the Rhode Island Lab, Renee Hobbs, even attempted to push federal legislation that would provide subsidies for anti-disinformation work like hers, based on the unfounded conspiracy theory that Russians played a major role in Trump’s victory in 2016.
The State Department-funded seminars featured speakers from Europe, including Daisy Kidd from Tactical Tech, a group partnered with left-wing organizations funded by George Soros. Kidd advocated for a “Data Detox Kit” that encouraged teachers to install NewsGuard and rely on left-leaning fact-checkers like Snopes and PolitiFact. Additionally, the kit discouraged the use of the term “fake news” popularized by Trump. Another speaker, representing the European group MEET Tolerance, expressed concern about the spread of hateful ideologies on the internet. MEET openly promotes a book titled “The New Racism: Conservatives and the Ideology of the Tribe” and teaches children to become ”media prominence warriors” to combat online hate speech.
These findings and revelations should serve as a wake-up call for the American people about the potential dangers lurking behind initiatives funded by the State Department that claim to combat disinformation. It is crucial that media literacy training in schools be unbiased, encouraging critical thinking rather than promoting a specific ideology. Freedom of speech is a fundamental value that should be upheld and protected, and any attempts to suppress it should be viewed with skepticism and caution.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Now loading...