NewsGuard: Surrogate the Feds Pay to Keep Watch on the Internet and Be a Judge of the Truth
By Lee Fang
November 17, 2023
(Views expressed by guest commentators may not reflect the views of OAN or its affiliates.)
In May 2021, L. Gordon Crovitz, a media executive turned start-up investor, presented Twitter executives with an intriguing proposal for a censorship tool.
In the “Twitter Files” revelations about media censorship, Crovitz, former publisher of the Wall Street Journal, pitched his product, NewsGuard, as a “Vaccine Against Misinformation.” He emphasized a ”separate product” for internal use by content-moderation teams, which would utilize artificial intelligence powered by NewsGuard algorithms to quickly screen content based on hashtags and search terms associated with dangerous content.
Verbatim: NewsGuard’s Inquisitiveness, and RCI’s Reply
NewsGuard’s pitch also revealed that it would rely on official government sources, such as the federal Centers for Disease Control, to determine the truth about issues like COVID-19. The company’s allies in content moderation include intelligence and national security officials, reputation management providers, and government agencies. NewsGuard aimed to rate the overall reliability of websites and combat COVID-19 misinformation from popular websites.
NewsGuard’s failed pitch sheds light on the global trend of governments policing speech, from disinformation to dissent. In the United States, the effort often involves direct appeals to social media platforms and news outlets. More commonly, governments collaborate with seemingly benign non-governmental organizations, like the Stanford Internet Observatory, to suppress disapproved speech.
NewsGuard, a for-profit company founded by Crovitz and Steven Brill, seeks to reshape the internet and monetize speech policing. Its business model involves labeling entire news sites as safe or untrustworthy, using a grading system called “nutrition labels.” Critics argue that these ratings are subjective and point out that reputable outlets like the New York Times receive high ratings despite publishing false information.
As NewsGuard positions itself as the arbiter of trust on the internet, it claims to have reviewed 95% of news sources across multiple languages. The company has published reports on disinformation related to China, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and the Israel-Hamas wars. NewsGuard has received positive coverage in outlets like CNN and the New York Times.
NewsGuard aims to expand its browser screening process into various platforms and institutions. However, its close ties to Publicis Groupe, a major marketing conglomerate representing pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, raise concerns about conflicts of interest. Critics argue that NewsGuard acts as a proxy for its government and corporate clients to suppress opposing views.
Several websites, including the Daily Sceptic and Consortium News, have challenged their NewsGuard ratings but have faced little interest from the company in engaging in a fair discussion. Instead, NewsGuard has demanded retractions and downgraded ratings without valid justification. This raises questions about NewsGuard’s impartiality and its role in guiding advertisers away from targeted sites.
NewsGuard’s actions have sparked lawsuits and accusations of First Amendment violations and defamation. The company’s collaboration with the government and intelligence services further fuels concerns about its agenda.
Despite the controversies surrounding NewsGuard, it continues to seek partnerships and licenses with social media platforms and other content moderation firms. Its influence in shaping online discourse remains significant.
Lee Fang is an independent journalist based in San Francisco. He writes an investigative newsletter on Substack via www.leefang.com.
Correction, 11:55 PM, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
An earlier version misstated an accolade of late Consortium News founder Robert Parry. He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, not a winner.
This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations, leefang.com and made available via RealClearWire.
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In what ways does NewsGuard aim to combat COVID-19 misinformation from popular websites
Lable on November 17, 2023.
(Views expressed by guest commentators may not reflect the views of OAN or its affiliates.)
In May 2021, L. Gordon Crovitz, a media executive turned start-up investor, presented Twitter executives with an intriguing proposal for a censorship tool.
In the “Twitter Files” revelations about media censorship, Crovitz, former publisher of the Wall Street Journal, pitched his product, NewsGuard, as a “Vaccine Against Misinformation.” He emphasized a ”separate product” for internal use by content-moderation teams, which would utilize artificial intelligence powered by NewsGuard algorithms to quickly screen content based on hashtags and search terms associated with dangerous content.
Verbatim: NewsGuard’s Inquisitiveness, and RCI’s Reply
NewsGuard’s pitch also revealed that it would rely on official government sources, such as the federal Centers for Disease Control, to determine the truth about issues like COVID-19. The company’s allies in content moderation include intelligence and national security officials, reputation management providers, and government agencies. NewsGuard aimed to rate the overall reliability of websites and combat COVID-19 misinformation from popular websites.
NewsGuard’s failed pitch sheds light on the global trend of governments policing speech, from disinformation to dissent. In the United States, the effort often involves direct appeals to social media platforms and news outlets
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