Josh Hawley: Government Paid Left-Wing Academics to Write ‘Counter-Propaganda’

Speaking of the World Economic Forum, they recently consulted 1,500 "experts" to compile their 2024 Global Risks Report. The top societal risk in the next two years, according to these experts? Misinformation and disinformation, which managed to beat "extreme weather events." So disinformation is worse than climate change?

"Disinformation" is one of those words that has lost all meaning. Now, it generally refers to information that the elites would prefer the unwashed masses not to have, like the COVID lab leak or Hunter Biden's laptop.

Sen. Josh Hawley has uncovered that the government has paid $700,000 to a group to "write blog posts that criticized Donald Trump and other conservatives under the guise of 'media literacy.'" That's the hot new thing in education as well — teaching students how to recognize misinformation.

And who is writing these blog posts? Left-wing academics.

Hawley sent a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Wednesday. Hawley writes:

Your Department provided a grant to the University of Rhode Island’s Media Education Lab to create “counter-propaganda.” This grant was given through the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant Program, which “provides funding … to prevent targeted violence and terrorism.” In its application, the Lab wrote that it would address “propaganda and misinformation concerning topics including immigration, racial justice, the coronavirus, and vaccination” and “build on top of concerns about so-called ‘fake news’ and ‘cancel culture.’” The Lab planned to use funds to create “counter-propaganda.” Your Department gave them $700,000 to do so.
There appears to be a pattern of funneling taxpayer dollars through the TVTP program to disparage conservatives. Last year, reports indicated that your Department provided a grant to a University of Dayton program to fight “domestic violent extremism and hate movements.” The year prior to the grant award, the university’s Human Rights Center—which runs the program—hosted a seminar during which the Christian Broadcasting Network, the National Rifle Association, Fox News, and other mainstream conservative organizations were included in a “pyramid of far-right radicalization” with neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Your Department gave the University of Dayton program more than $350,000.