{"id":2148117,"date":"2024-01-13T06:48:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-13T11:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-department-funnels-cash-to-foreign-group-to-fight-disinformation-amid-gop-censorship-scrutiny\/"},"modified":"2024-01-13T06:49:51","modified_gmt":"2024-01-13T11:49:51","slug":"state-department-funnels-cash-to-foreign-group-to-fight-disinformation-amid-gop-censorship-scrutiny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-department-funnels-cash-to-foreign-group-to-fight-disinformation-amid-gop-censorship-scrutiny\/","title":{"rendered":"State Department funds foreign group to combat &#8216;disinformation&#8217; amidst GOP censorship scrutiny"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/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%2Fstate-department-funnels-cash-to-foreign-group-to-fight-disinformation-amid-gop-censorship-scrutiny%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=2148117&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--><p>The Biden administration is funding a \u2064little-known \u2062foreign organization to combat &#8220;disinformation&#8221; in \u2062the media, despite facing criticism from \u200bGOP lawmakers who\u200c view these initiatives as state-sponsored &#8220;censorship.&#8221;\u2063 The State Department has \u200dallocated $24,000 \u200cin\u200b taxpayer money to ESTIMA, a nonprofit organization\u2062 in North Macedonia, to strengthen media resilience against foreign disinformation. ESTIMA has\u2062 also \u2062partnered with the State Department&#8217;s Global Engagement Center, which has faced\u200d scrutiny \u200cfor\u200c funding the\u200d London-based Global Disinformation Index \u200dthat targets conservative media \u200doutlets.\u2064 This federally-funded program reflects \u200bthe U.S. government&#8217;s tendency\u2063 to support overseas entities that claim to debunk online discourse, \u2062a practice that Republicans\u2063 argue infringes on free speech and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-leftist-funded-propublica-attacks-conservatives-23-times-more-than-democrats\/\" title=\"Report: ProPublica, funded by leftists, disproportionately targets conservatives over Democrats, 23 times more frequently.\">disproportionately targets conservatives<\/a>.\u200d However, Democrats argue that these initiatives are unbiased \u200band\u200c necessary for national security. ESTIMA&#8217;s website states that the program aims\u2063 to counter the joint efforts of Russia\u2063 and China\u2063 to undermine \u200bdemocracies and freedom of expression worldwide. Despite this, lawmakers\u200c have become increasingly skeptical of the State Department&#8217;s \u200dability to combat disinformation, as it \u2064has\u2063 funded partisan groups\u200b like GDI that attack conservatives. The U.S. Embassy in Skopje is assisting in implementing the ESTIMA \u2062program. ESTIMA&#8217;s president,\u2064 Ana\u2062 Krstinovska,\u2062 emphasizes\u2062 the organization&#8217;s \u2062commitment to \u200dfreedom of expression and pluralism, \u200cstating that they do not assess\u200d or \u2063impose\u2064 opinions but conduct research to contribute to scholarly and public debates. However, Rep. Glenn Grothman remains skeptical of the initiative, expressing distrust in the Department of \u2063State&#8217;s ability\u2063 to determine what foreign citizens \u200dcan or\u2064 cannot hear. In \u2062recent years, U.S. \u2064taxpayers\u2064 have provided nearly $50,000 in\u2062 funding\u2062 to ESTIMA, including an award from the State Department to develop\u200d a policy approach that counters negative influence and upholds democratic values. ESTIMA, established in \u200b2016, has an \u2064advisory board consisting of former government officials and\u2064 consultants for \u200dinternational organizations. \u200dThe organization&#8217;s ties to\u2064 foreign governments\u2062 have \u2062raised concerns\u200c among GOP lawmakers, who \u200cquestion\u2062 the coordination\u200d between the public and private \u200csectors in\u2062 censorship efforts. The German \u2062Marshall Fund of the U.S., \u2063which houses the Alliance \u2064for Securing Democracy, organized a \u200dpanel in 2022 where ESTIMA&#8217;s president participated. The Atlantic Council, another think tank \u200baffiliated with \u200dthe\u2064 German \u200dMarshall Fund, has published articles \u200don the China Observers in Central and\u200b Eastern Europe website, \u200cwhich \u200bincludes \u2062Krstinovska as\u2063 a research fellow. The House\u2063 Small Business Committee, led by Republicans, is investigating censorship and seeking grant records from the Global\u200c Engagement Center. The \u2064committee \u2063may issue subpoenas if the GEC \u2064fails to comply \u2062with\u200d requests.\u200b ESTIMA&#8217;s focus extends beyond combating \u2062disinformation, as the organization also\u2063 advises North \u2062Macedonia on attracting private Chinese investors. Krstinovska highlights the importance of stability, trust,\u200d professionalism, and government support in attracting Chinese investments. \u200bThe \u200dWashington Examiner reached out to the State Department for comment \u200don \u2064its support for \u2064ESTIMA.  <\/p>\n<h2> How do critics of the funding of ESTIMA argue that it promotes \u2062bias and partisan intent, and what evidence do \u200dthey cite?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ogram, which includes providing support for \u200dmedia literacy programs\u2062 and fact-checking initiatives. ESTIMA&#8217;s \u200bwork also includes training journalists \u200cto\u2063 identify and counter disinformation,\u2064 as well as conducting research on trends and tactics employed \u200dby foreign state \u2062actors. <\/p>\n<p>The decision to fund ESTIMA has sparked a\u2062 heated debate between Republicans and Democrats. GOP lawmakers \u200bargue that these initiatives are nothing more than an\u200c attempt \u2064by the Biden administration to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cancel-culture-similar-to-ccps-social-credit-system-rep-green\/\" title=\"\u2018Cancel Culture\u2019 Similar to CCP\u2019s Social Credit System: Rep. Green\">silence conservative voices<\/a> and control the narrative in the media. They \u200bsee it as a form of state-sponsored\u200c censorship,\u200b using taxpayer money to suppress dissenting viewpoints. <\/p>\n<p>Critics\u2063 point to the State Department&#8217;s previous funding \u2062of \u200bthe Global Disinformation Index, which \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-department-faces-lawsuit-from-conservative-media-over-funding-censorship-scheme\/\" title=\"Conservative media sues State Department over alleged 'censorship scheme' funding\">targets conservative media outlets<\/a>, as evidence \u2063of bias\u200d and partisan intent. They argue that \u200bthe government should not be in the business of \u2062funding organizations that promote a particular political agenda. Instead, they \u2062believe\u200c in the \u2064importance of free speech and allowing all \u2062perspectives to be heard, even if \u2062they may be controversial or unpopular.<\/p>\n<p>On the other side of the debate,\u200d Democrats argue that\u200b combating disinformation is crucial for national security and the preservation\u2063 of democracy. They claim that foreign actors, particularly Russia and\u200b China, are actively engaged in disinformation campaigns that aim \u200bto \u200dundermine democracies and sow discord \u200damong populations.\u200c These initiatives, they argue, are a necessary response to this threat and are conducted\u200c in an unbiased\u200d manner.<\/p>\n<p>ESTIMA&#8217;s mission, as stated on their website, aligns with the concerns \u200cexpressed by Democrats. They\u200d aim to counter the joint efforts of Russia and China to undermine democracies and freedom of expression worldwide. By strengthening media resilience against foreign disinformation, ESTIMA believes they can contribute to a more informed and democratic society.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the important\u200d goals and objectives of ESTIMA&#8217;s program, lawmakers have expressed \u2063growing skepticism about the State Department&#8217;s ability to\u200b effectively combat disinformation. The funding of partisan groups like the Global Disinformation Index has only \u200cfueled concerns \u200cabout bias and government overreach. Without utmost transparency\u2064 and a clear commitment \u2062to \u2062neutrality, these initiatives risk further dividing society and eroding trust in democratic institutions.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the Biden administration&#8217;s decision to fund ESTIMA, a little-known foreign organization, to combat disinformation in the media\u200c has been met\u200c with criticism from GOP lawmakers \u2063who view these initiatives as state-sponsored censorship. While Democrats argue that these initiatives are \u200bnecessary for national security,\u200b Republicans claim they infringe on free speech and disproportionately target conservatives. The skepticism regarding the State Department&#8217;s ability to combat disinformation is fueled by its funding of partisan groups in\u2062 the past. \u2064As the debate continues, it \u2063is essential to find\u200c a\u2063 balance between countering disinformation and \u200cprotecting freedom of expression.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Biden administration is funding ESTIMA, a foreign group, to combat media &#8220;disinformation,&#8221; despite GOP criticism. Congress has pressured Democrats over these initiatives, calling them state-sponsored &#8220;censorship.&#8221; The State Department has allocated $24,000 in taxpayer funds to ESTIMA until May 2024<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2148117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2148117","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\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2148117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2148117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2148117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2148117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2148117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}