Published on December 8, 2023, 1:27 am

Recognizing the growing concern over disinformation and censorship in media, House Republicans have successfully included a provision in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This provision cuts off government funding for organizations deemed as disseminators of misinformation, such as NewsGuard. The agreed-upon provision halts future contracts between these organizations and the Department of Defense (DoD), asserting that domestic news outlets should not be subject to censorship.

This development comes amidst ongoing negotiations between Republic and Democrat factions within the House Armed Services Committee. Despite other provisions being stripped from its version of the bill, this essential stipulation pertaining to ‘censorship technology’ remains intact in the imminent legislation.

Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, expressed satisfaction with the move. Highlighting it as an important pushback against perceived left-wing attacks on conservative media outlets, he stated his commitment to preserving freedom of speech amidst what he sees as a far-left overreach by the current Biden administration.

The NDAA is an annual necessity for military funding, often carrying otherwise difficult-to-pass legislations within its folds. This year’s NDAA retains this pivotal censorship-oriented provision amidst others that were unable to pass muster – including proposals to ban Pentagon-funded drag shows and so-called ‘gender-affirming health care’ for transgender service members.

This recent censor-focused clause speaks directly to increasing concerns about how censorship industries utilize government funds. An advisory source associated with this issue explained that there were worries surrounding Pentagon’s awarding of a $750k contract to NewsGuard, intended for demonstrating defense applications of their technology.

The same source voiced concerns about companies like NewsGuard or Global Disinformation Index who claim to combat misinformation but reportedly stifle conservative news outlets in their process. These entities aim to divert advertising revenue from popular conservative media sites like The Daily Wire or The New York Post by tagging them as bad information sources.

House Representatives enforce that this provision will prohibit the Pentagon from using such tools when allocating its advertising budget. The provision mandates that any entity involved in military recruitment advertising needs to affirm its neutrality, avoiding political biases and misinformation considerations. If any company like NewsGuard or GDI manages to circumvent this certification, the Pentagon will be required to justify its misuse of contract issuance before Congress.

Increasingly under scrutiny for alleged censorship initiatives, even beyond the Pentagon, other federal governmental entities find themselves questioned for funding these companies. A prime example is the recent litigation by The Daily Wire against the Biden administration’s State Department regarding their support of censorship technologies.

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