{"id":2075022,"date":"2023-10-21T10:52:04","date_gmt":"2023-10-21T14:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/musk-lashes-out-against-newsguard-censorship\/"},"modified":"2023-10-21T10:57:24","modified_gmt":"2023-10-21T14:57:24","slug":"musk-lashes-out-against-newsguard-censorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/musk-lashes-out-against-newsguard-censorship\/","title":{"rendered":"Musk slams NewsGuard&#8217;s censorship."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">8<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmusk-lashes-out-against-newsguard-censorship%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2075022&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>Entrepreneur Elon Musk has strongly criticized content moderator NewsGuard, calling\u2063 it a &#8220;scam&#8221; and demanding its immediate disbandment. Musk accuses\u2062 NewsGuard of suppressing speech\u2062 that doesn&#8217;t align\u2063 with the \u200dmoderator&#8217;s \u200dpolitical biases. \u200dHe also questions the European\u2064 Union&#8217;s alleged association\u2064 with NewsGuard.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>On Oct. 19, Trump administration official <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeBenzCyber\/status\/1714876810112938111\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mike\u200d Benz<\/a> made a startling claim on X, formerly known as Twitter,\u2062 stating that NewsGuard is involved \u2062in a plot to bankrupt \u2062alternative news sources. He further revealed that \u200dNewsGuard collaborated with the EU on a disinformation code \u200band offers &#8220;disinformation compliance&#8221; services to enforce censorship laws.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The EU&#8217;s &#8220;2022 Code of Practice on Disinformation&#8221; urges \u2063tech\u200d companies and ad firms to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/musk-lashes-out-against-newsguard-censorship\/\" title=\"Musk slams NewsGuard's censorship.\">financially suffocate publishers spreading content deemed<\/a> as &#8220;disinformation.&#8221; In response, Musk directly questioned\u2064 Thierry\u2064 Breton, the European\u2063 Commissioner for the European Union&#8217;s Internal Market, \u2063asking for an explanation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-4 sm:line-clamp-3\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/article\/how-newsguard-became-the-establishment-guard-against-independent-media-5417756?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text-sm sm:text-base\">How\u200d NewsGuard\u200c Became the Establishment Guard\u2063 Against Independent Media<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/16\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[70px] sm:basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/article\/how-newsguard-became-the-establishment-guard-against-independent-media-5417756?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">\n<picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" https:><\/source><source type=\"image\/*\" https:><\/source>\n<\/picture>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-4 sm:line-clamp-3\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/your-position-is-clear-musk-responds-black-lives-matter-pro-palestine-posts-after-hamas-attacks-5508189?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text-sm sm:text-base\">&#8216;Your Position Is Clear&#8217;: Musk Responds to \u200dBlack Lives Matter Pro-Palestine Posts After Hamas \u200dAttacks<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">10\/11\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[70px] sm:basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/your-position-is-clear-musk-responds-black-lives-matter-pro-palestine-posts-after-hamas-attacks-5508189?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">\n<picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" https:><\/source><source type=\"image\/*\" https:><\/source>\n<\/picture>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>In\u200c an Oct. 19 X <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Timcast\/status\/1715035865431310626\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a>, political commentator and podcast host Tim Pool revealed that NewsGuard penalized them for running \u2062stories that quoted \u200dformer \u2064President Donald Trump. NewsGuard claimed that reporting\u2064 on Trump&#8217;s statements was\u2062 irresponsible and\u2063 that they should \u200dhave fact-checked him instead. Musk responded to this revelation, calling NewsGuard a scam and demanding its immediate disbandment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Founded in 2018, NewsGuard claims to objectively and\u200d impartially\u2063 rate online <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/article\/how-newsguard-became-the-establishment-guard-against-independent-media-5417756\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">content<\/a> for trustworthiness. However, an investigation by \u2064The Epoch Times revealed that NewsGuard&#8217;s ratings\u2062 were influenced by its own biased opinions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Elon Musk \u2062has been under increasing\u200c pressure from the EU regarding content\u200b moderation on X. <\/p>\n<h2>Musk Versus EU<\/h2>\n<p> The Tesla CEO\u2062 has been at odds with the European Union over its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/big-tech-to-ban-parler-over-lack-of-content-moderation\/\" title=\"Big tech to ban Parler over lack of content moderation\">content moderation policies<\/a> \u2063for a while.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>After Musk took over \u2062Twitter, now known \u2063as X, in \u200bOctober last year, Thierry Breton stated that if the \u200dplatform wants to operate in the EU, it must comply with\u2063 their rules. \u2063Breton also suggested that Musk needs to \u2064increase the number of content moderators on the platform in\u2062 the EU.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Market speaks\u200b during a signature ceremony regarding the Chips Act at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 8, 2022. (Virginia Mayo\/Pool via Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In mid-December, tensions escalated\u200d between X and \u200bthe EU when the\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/twitter-will-comply-with-europes-censorship-rules-says-eu-commissioner\/\" title=\"Twitter Will Comply With Europe\u2019s Censorship Rules, Says EU Commissioner\">platform suspended multiple journalists<\/a> for \u200ballegedly \u2062violating its new \u200bpolicy \u2062on doxxing. Vera Jourova, a\u200c European Commission vice \u200dpresident, expressed concern over the &#8220;arbitrary suspension&#8221; of reporters.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>In \u200bFebruary this year, the EU criticized X for not taking \u200cthe bloc&#8217;s fight against &#8220;disinformation&#8221; seriously. \u2063The platform produced an incomplete report on its compliance with EU rules on censorship, lagging behind Google, Meta, and TikTok.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;I \u2062am disappointed to see that Twitter&#8217;s report lags behind others and\u200d I expect a more serious commitment to their obligations,&#8221; said Ms. Jourova at the time.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Unlike tech firms like Google and Facebook, X has refused\u200c to participate in\u200d the EU&#8217;s \u2063voluntary anti-disinformation effort, the &#8220;2022\u2062 Code of Practice on Disinformation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>During a press conference in September,\u2063 Ms. Jourova referred to X as &#8220;the platform with the\u200d largest ratio of mis- or disinformation posts&#8221; and warned \u200bthat they would be \u200bclosely monitored.<\/p>\n<p>Musk \u2062responded to the warning with a\u200c series of memes on X, mocking other tech firms&#8217; eagerness to \u200bcomply with the EU&#8217;s censorship \u200dlaws.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>This month, \u200dMr. Breton accused \u2064X \u2062of\u2062 not blocking posts related to the Israel-Hamas \u200dconflict, claiming that groups \u200care spreading misinformation and\u200d &#8220;violent and\u2064 terrorist&#8221; content on the platform.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>X CEO Linda\u2062 Yaccarino defended the\u200c platform, stating that they have\u2062 removed hundreds of accounts linked to Hamas \u200dand taken down thousands of posts following\u2063 the terror group&#8217;s attack\u200b on Israel. <\/p>\n<h2>NewsGuard Censorship<\/h2>\n<p> An investigation by The Epoch Times revealed that\u2064 NewsGuard promotes \u2063its own biased opinions while fact-checking publishers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>There have been instances where publishers faced pressure from NewsGuard for running stories on topics such \u2064as COVID-19 vaccines, pandemic restrictions, climate \u200dchange, and the World Economic Forum, which contradicted the views of the leftist establishment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A\u200d NewsGuard rating on a PragerU article\u2064 is displayed on a laptop in New York City on July 26, 2023. (Samira Bouaou\/The Epoch\u200c Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Most of the outlets\u2062 rated poorly by NewsGuard tend \u200dto lean right-wing, according\u200b to the investigation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Conservative education platform PragerU was previously\u2063 labeled \u200dred by NewsGuard. The organization demanded\u200c that PragerU stop criticizing COVID-19\u2064 lockdown policies and\u2062 refrain from questioning the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>NewsGuard\u200b has also received funding from the Biden administration, with the Department of Defense awarding them $749,387\u2062 in 2021\u200d for their &#8220;misinformation fingerprints&#8221; project.<\/p>\n<p>The project utilizes\u2064 human intelligence and AI \u200cto monitor and suppress\u2063 stories and media outlets deemed false and\u200b unreliable. It provides a continuously\u200c updated view of the digital information environment\u200b and tracks emerging narratives online.<\/p>\n<p>In a\u200b report by the Media Research Center (MRC), it \u200cwas\u2064 revealed that NewsGuard gave perfect scores \u2063to outlets that tried to\u2062 suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Left-wing\u2062 news organizations Politico, The Washington \u2064Post, Axios, and\u200b USA Today all dismissed the Biden bombshell as possible disinformation. Despite later authentication\u2063 by\u2064 The New York Times and \u2062its connection to an ongoing federal investigation, NewsGuard rated these outlets with perfect\u200c credibility scores,&#8221; the report stated.<\/p>\n<p>In \u200dMay last year, \u2064Rep. Jim Banks wrote a letter expressing concern\u2063 over the \u2062grant given to NewsGuard\u2063 by the U.S. Cyber Command. He criticized the &#8220;partisan suppression of political \u2064speech&#8221; and highlighted NewsGuard&#8217;s extreme partisan bias.<\/p>\n<p>Musk&#8217;s criticism \u2063of\u2064 NewsGuard and his ongoing\u200c clash with\u200b the \u2064EU over content moderation policies reflect the \u2064challenges faced \u2063by tech platforms and the growing concerns\u200c surrounding censorship\u200b and biased fact-checking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How \u2063is NewsGuard allegedly involved in a plot to \u2064bankrupt alternative news sources, and what is its \u2064alleged \u2063collaboration with the European Union?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Nsub><\/p>\n<p>div><\/p>\n<p>In his criticism of NewsGuard, \u2064entrepreneur Elon \u200cMusk \u200chas not held back, describing it as a &#8220;scam&#8221; and\u200d demanding its immediate disbandment. Musk \u2062accused the\u2064 content moderator of suppressing speech that does not align with the political biases of its moderators. He also expressed skepticism about the\u200c alleged association of NewsGuard with the European Union.<\/p>\n<p>On\u200b October 19, Mike\u200d Benz, a Trump administration official, \u200bmade a shocking claim on\u2064 Twitter, stating that NewsGuard \u200cis involved in\u2062 a plot to bankrupt alternative\u2062 news sources. He further \u2062revealed that NewsGuard collaborated with the European \u2063Union on a disinformation code and offers &#8220;disinformation compliance&#8221; services to\u2064 enforce censorship \u2062laws.<\/p>\n<p>The European Union&#8217;s &#8220;2022 Code \u2064of Practice on Disinformation&#8221; urges tech companies and advertising firms to financially\u200b suffocate publishers that spread content considered as \u2062&#8221;disinformation.&#8221; \u2064In response, Musk directly questioned Thierry\u2064 Breton, the European Commissioner for the European Union&#8217;s Internal Market, demanding an explanation.<\/p>\n<p>In another post on Twitter, political \u200bcommentator and podcast host Tim Pool \u200bmentioned that NewsGuard penalized them for publishing\u200d stories that\u2062 quoted former \u200dPresident Donald Trump. NewsGuard claimed that reporting on Trump&#8217;s statements was irresponsible.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-4 sm:line-clamp-3\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/article\/how-newsguard-became-the-establishment-guard-against-independent-media-5417756?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text-sm sm:text-base\">How\u200d NewsGuard\u200c \u2063Became the Establishment Guard\u2063 Against\u200d Independent \u2063Media<\/h3>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/16\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[70px] sm:basis-[120px]\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/article\/how-newsguard-became-the-establishment-guard-against-independent-media-5417756?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" https:><\/source><source type=\"image\/*\" https:><\/source><\/p>\n<\/picture>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-4 sm:line-clamp-3\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/your-position-is-clear-musk-responds-black-lives-matter-pro-palestine-posts-after-hamas-attacks-5508189?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"text-sm sm:text-base\">&#8216;Your Position Is Clear&#8217;: Musk Responds to \u200dBlack Lives Matter Pro-Palestine Posts \u2062After \u200bHamas \u200dAttacks<\/h3>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">10\/11\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[70px] sm:basis-[120px]\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/your-position-is-clear-musk-responds-black-lives-matter-pro-palestine-posts-after-hamas-attacks-5508189?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<picture><source type=\"image\/web \n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Entrepreneur Elon Musk criticized NewsGuard, calling it a &#8220;scam&#8221; and urging its immediate disbandment. He accused the content moderator of suppressing speech that doesn&#8217;t align with their political views. Musk also questioned the European Union&#8217;s alleged connection to NewsGuard. Trump administration official Mike Benz echoed these concerns on Oct. 19.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":2075023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2075022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2075022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2075023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2075022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2075022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2075022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}