Western Reader
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, led by Representative James Comer (R-KY), has launched an investigation into NewsGuard, a news-rating organization. The inquiry is focused on NewsGuard’s impact on First Amendment rights and the possibility of censorship, potentially involving federal entities.
Representative Comer voiced concerns about NewsGuard, which evaluates news outlets for reliability, potentially operating as a secretive censor. In a letter to NewsGuard’s CEOs, Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz, Comer requested documents related to NewsGuard’s business associations with government bodies and its protocols for avoiding bias and addressing conflicts of interest.
Is Newsguard truly unbiased? Join @MichaelWatsonDC and @sarailola as @JohnMTillman from the American Culture Project exposes the hidden biases in media ratings. Listen now to understand the fight for free speech and unbiased information. Listen to the full episode here:… pic.twitter.com/S4d17U2E48
— Capital Research Center (@capitalresearch) June 21, 2024
NewsGuard offers its services to various businesses, such as tech firms and advertisers, to aid in placing ads. Critics argue that this practice creates inherent conflicts of interest, especially when the same entity evaluates news publishers.
The committee seeks to investigate whether NewsGuard’s ratings have been influenced by its financial ties and whether these ratings unfairly suppress conservative perspectives.
Some encouraging news from the US — so-called ‘fact checking’ firm NewsGuard, which works closely with government agencies and major corporate advertisers, is now under congressional scrutiny for its practices.
Following concern over reports that NewsGuard’s actions may be… pic.twitter.com/04xhmlWNi5
— The Free Speech Union (@SpeechUnion) June 20, 2024
According to NewsGuard, their ratings are intended to identify misinformation and differentiate between news and opinion. However, a study by the Media Research Center suggests that NewsGuard rates liberal outlets notably higher than conservative ones, leading to accusations of partisan bias. NewsGuard contends that its ratings are nonpartisan and aim to combat misinformation from any source.
The investigation also delves into NewsGuard’s agreements with the Department of Defense, focusing on countering misinformation from foreign adversaries like Russia, China, and Iran. NewsGuard defends its collaboration with the Pentagon, asserting that it remains unbiased and crucial for national security.
This investigation stems from a larger endeavor by House Republicans to address perceived censorship and bias by media and tech companies. Representative Comer stresses the importance of transparency and accountability, particularly for entities that could impact public discourse with government support.
As the inquiry advances, the committee aims to ensure that NewsGuard’s operations uphold free speech rights and do not contribute to excessive government control in media oversight. The results of this investigation could have significant implications for the future interactions between news-rating firms and government entities.
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