(ProsperNews.net) – Media outlet Consortium News has filed a lawsuit against the US government and an online watchdog called NewsGuard for defamation and breach of its First Amendment rights. NewsGuard is a website that provides a rating on news stories that ostensibly measures their reliability. It insists that it is apolitical and objective, but Consortium says it demonstrates a clear bias against conservative views and media.
The lawsuit condemns the Pentagon for awarding NewsGuard $750,000 as part of its “Misinformation Fingerprints” project in 2021. This was described as a campaign against “known hoaxes, falsehoods and misinformation narratives that are spreading online.” The suit states that a government payment to a news ratings provider represents a clear conflict of interest, and neutrality cannot be assured when stories involving the Department of Defense are under scrutiny.
Consortium News’ attorney Bruce Afran said, “The First Amendment rights of all American media are threatened by this arrangement.” He added that the relationship provides the Defense Department with an opportunity to dismiss all criticisms of government policy as “disinformation.” Consortium is seeking a ruling that the engagement is unconstitutional.
The suit also claims defamation and is asking for compensation of $13 million. According to the news outlet, NewsGuard has tagged 20,000 pieces of content – in writing and film – since 1995 and labeled them “misinformation” or “false content.”
Ric Grenell, a former acting Director of National Intelligence in the Trump administration, said, “This is how regimes control the narrative. This is how they control the media.” Republican Rep. Neal Dunn from Florida agrees and describes NewsGuard’s funding by the federal government as “pretty appalling.”
NewsGuard is also accused of working with European governments. Anti-censorship activist Mike Benz claimed on Twitter that the organization is highlighting alternative non-mainstream sites and bringing these to the EU’s attention so it can take action against them. Reporter Tim Pool chimed in, saying he’d received strikes from NewsGuard for quoting President Trump, which it described as “irresponsible.”
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