{"id":2342878,"date":"2024-09-18T13:30:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T17:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/george-soros-pours-250000-into-the-global-disinformation-index-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-18T13:33:01","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T17:33:01","slug":"george-soros-pours-250000-into-the-global-disinformation-index-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/george-soros-pours-250000-into-the-global-disinformation-index-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"George Soros pours $250,000 into the Global Disinformation Index &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"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\">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%2Fgeorge-soros-pours-250000-into-the-global-disinformation-index-washington-examiner%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=2342878&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>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-usps-monitoring-americans-social-media-posts\/\" title=\"Report: USPS monitoring Americans\u2019 social media posts\">recent report reveals<\/a> that Democratic donor George Soros donated\u2063 $250,000 to \u200bthe Global\u200d Disinformation Index (GDI) through the Foundation to Promote Open Society in 2023. This organization has\u2062 faced criticism for allegedly \u2064blacklisting conservative media from advertising revenues and has previously received funding from the State Department.\u2063 The GDI aims to \u2062promote understanding of disinformation&#8217;s \u200bharm,\u200c but \u200bits methods have attracted \u2062scrutiny \u200dfrom Congress, \u200bleading to\u200d legal actions \u200band\u200b new legislation aimed at restricting \u2063funding.\u2063 Gene Hamilton from America \u200dFirst\u2064 Legal expressed concerns over the implications of such funding on free speech in the U.S. Soros&#8217; philanthropic network continues to support various initiatives against disinformation, including significant donations to\u200c the Atlantic Council and Media Matters Action Network, both of which \u200dhave been involved in contentious issues surrounding alleged censorship of conservative viewpoints.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">George Soros pours $250,000 into the Global Disinformation Index<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1735563\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The philanthropy of Democratic megadonor George Soros cut a large check last year to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/charity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>charity<\/a> arm in the United States of a group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3156688\/jim-banks-state-department-russia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>blacklisting<\/a> conservative media from advertising dollars, according to newly released grant records. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The records show the Soros-backed Foundation to Promote Open Society, a major grantmaking organization, sent $250,000 in 2023 to Disinformation Index, Inc., the American outpost of the Global Disinformation Index. That British group, which previously received $150,000 from Soros along with funding from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3148525\/embattled-state-department-office-funding-censorship-groups\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>State Department<\/a>, has faced &ldquo;censorship&rdquo; scrutiny from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3148525\/embattled-state-department-office-funding-censorship-groups\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Congress<\/a> ever <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2749593\/disinformation-inc-meet-the-groups-hauling-in-cash-to-secretly-blacklist-conservative-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>since<\/a> a series of <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance\/2773271\/disinformation-inc-state-department-bankrolls-group-secretly-blacklisting-conservative-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reports<\/a> shed light on its efforts to defund news outlets in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If the American people had any doubt that there is a well-funded and well-connected effort to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fcc-commissioner-blasts-democrat-complaint-against-fox-news-affiliate-fcc-is-not-dncs-speech-police\/\" title=\"FCC Commissioner Blasts Democrat Complaint Against Fox News Affiliate: FCC Is Not \u2018DNC\u2019s Speech Police\u2019\">censor free speech<\/a> in America, documents like these remove any doubt,&rdquo; said Gene Hamilton, executive director of America First Legal, a group of ex-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Trump administration<\/a> officials investigating alleged censorship efforts by the Biden-Harris administration.<\/p>\n<p>News of the Soros-backed check comes as the GDI returns to the spotlight after the 2023 <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> stories, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3148525\/embattled-state-department-office-funding-censorship-groups\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>prompted<\/a> congressional oversight, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2446507\/ex-state-department-censorship-tool-under-spotlight-in-new-conservative-media-lawsuit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>lawsuits<\/a> against the State Department&rsquo;s Global Engagement Center, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2439614\/inside-the-gops-tense-negotiations-with-democrats-to-ban-pentagon-funded-censorship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>a new Defense Department law<\/a> banning certain funding to the GDI. A provision through the annual State Department funding bill, which passed the House this summer and is being negotiated in the Senate, seeks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-department-hit-with-subpoena-over-censorship-by-proxy\/\" title=\"Subpoena issued to State Department over alleged &#039;proxy censorship\">ban future funding<\/a> to the GEC.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the <em>New York Post<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/09\/13\/us-news\/state-department-tried-to-discredit-reporters-republican-pol-over-conservative-blacklist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a> this month on internal documents that, according to the outlet, were used by the State Department to discredit the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, &ldquo;Twitter Files&rdquo; journalist Matt Taibbi, and Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) regarding apparent censorship reporting. On Monday, the Indiana Republican <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3156688\/jim-banks-state-department-russia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken<\/a> to demand answers on the memo. That&rsquo;s because the memo appeared to try to link Banks falsely to a Russian state-controlled media outlet.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In response to Mr. Kaminsky&rsquo;s reporting, the State Department sent out press guidance defending its attempted suppression of U.S. news organizations,&rdquo; Banks wrote in the letter to Blinken. &ldquo;That guidance misleadingly changes a quote that I sent to Gabe Kaminsky and the Washington Examiner criticizing the GEC. The intentional misquotation gives the impression that I had been speaking with a Russian propaganda outlet.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The 2023 grant from the Soros-funded group was &ldquo;to educate the public about disinformation and its harms,&rdquo; according to funding records. <\/p>\n<p>But the grant is not the only one from the Soros philanthropy network for efforts to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disinformation-inc-biden-administration-misses-gop-deadline-for-censorship-records\/\" title=\"Disinformation Inc: Biden administration misses GOP deadline for &#039;censorship&#039; records\">thwart alleged disinformation<\/a> or misinformation &mdash; a practice that Republicans in Congress have deemed politically biased and equivalent to censorship. <\/p>\n<p>The Soros-backed Open Society Institute directed $100,000 in 2023 to the Atlantic Council to help fight &ldquo;disinformation,&rdquo; with the activity geared toward South Africa, according to the grant earmark. As a whole, Soros steered $1 million last year to the Atlantic Council for initiatives, the records show.<\/p>\n<p>The Atlantic Council partnered on the prior state-funded initiative that resulted in the GDI receiving the $100,000 grant in 2021 from the Global Engagement Center, the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/gekaminsky\/status\/1623839487594835974\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a>. The Atlantic Council also came under fire in Taibbi&rsquo;s reporting on internal documents from Twitter, now known as X, showing its <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/03\/02\/innocent-americans-flagged-for-twitter-bans-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>ties<\/a> to apparent censorship efforts.<\/p>\n<p>The Institute for Strategic Dialogue received $100,000 in 2023 from the Soros-backed Alliance for Open Society International &ldquo;to support research on countering disinformation in Germany,&rdquo; according to funding records. The London-based think tank received State Department funds and &ldquo;works to police&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platforms<\/a> for supposed &ldquo;disinformation&rdquo; or &ldquo;misinformation&rdquo; peddled by conservatives, journalist Ailan Evans <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2023\/02\/13\/state-department-think-tank-disinformation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Like the Atlantic Council, the ISD also partnered on the program that led to the GDI receiving state funding, records <a href=\"https:\/\/www.isdglobal.org\/insights-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>show<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Soros-backed Open Society also steered $500,000 in 2023 to Media Matters Action Network &ldquo;to support the grantee&rsquo;s nonpartisan research and work on combatting online disinformation,&rdquo; according to funding records. Media Matters Action Network is <a href=\"https:\/\/mediamattersaction.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>tied<\/a> to the broader progressive Media Matters for America group founded by Democratic operative David Brock. <\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the philanthropy of Soros granted almost $8 million combined last year to Global Witness, a left-wing British group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2620714\/soros-flooded-big-tech-censorship-pressure-group-with-millions-during-midterm-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>pressuring social media companies<\/a> to fight &ldquo;disinformation&rdquo; and &ldquo;misinformation&rdquo; online. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;From funding pro-criminal prosecutors to backing anti-free speech organizations, George Soros has a long track record of attempting to shred the fabric of our Republic,&rdquo; Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), who has <a href=\"https:\/\/clyde.house.gov\/news\/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2548\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>sought<\/a> to ban federal funding to &ldquo;censorship&rdquo; groups, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Any steps taken to support groups censoring the American people in the name of combating &lsquo;disinformation&rsquo; is unacceptable and, frankly, un-American,&rdquo; Clyde said. &ldquo;Congress has a responsibility to investigate funds &mdash; including taxpayer dollars &mdash; bankrolling efforts to unjustly silence conservative views, voices, and media organizations.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for Soros&rsquo;s philanthropy network did not return a request for comment. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1735563\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1735563\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>George Soros has donated $250,000 to the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), a group that has been accused of targeting conservative media by restricting their access to advertising funds. Recent grant records reveal that the Foundation to Promote Open Society, which is supported by Soros, made this contribution in 2023 to Disinformation Index, Inc., the U.S. branch of GDI. This British organization had previously received $150,000 from Soros and additional funding from the State Department but has come under scrutiny from Congress for its alleged censorship activities following reports by the Washington Examiner.<\/p>\n<p>Gene Hamilton, executive director of America First Legal\u2014a group formed by former Trump administration officials\u2014stated that these documents confirm a well-funded initiative aimed at censoring free speech in America. The news about Soros&#8217;s donation coincides with renewed attention on GDI after recent Washington Examiner articles led to congressional oversight and legal actions against the State Department\u2019s Global Engagement Center (GEC). A provision in an annual funding bill for the State Department aims to prevent future financial support for GEC.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, internal documents reported by the New York Post suggest attempts by the State Department to discredit certain journalists and lawmakers regarding claims of censorship. Indiana Republican Rep. Jim Banks has demanded clarification from Secretary of State Antony Blinken after a memo appeared to inaccurately associate him with Russian state media.<\/p>\n<p>The grant from Soros&#8217;s organization was intended &#8220;to educate the public about disinformation and its harms.&#8221; However, it is part of a broader pattern where his philanthropy supports initiatives aimed at combating alleged misinformation\u2014efforts that many Republicans view as politically biased censorship.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023 alone, other contributions included $100,000 directed towards fighting disinformation through South Africa-focused initiatives via Atlantic Council and another $100,000 allocated for research on countering misinformation in Germany through Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD). Both organizations have faced criticism related to their involvement in perceived censorship efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Soros also provided nearly $8 million last year combined to Global Witness\u2014a UK-based group advocating against online misinformation\u2014and Media Matters Action Network\u2014linked with progressive advocacy efforts against conservative viewpoints online.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Andrew Clyde criticized Soros\u2019s funding practices as detrimental to American democracy and called for investigations into taxpayer money being used against conservative voices. A representative from Soros&#8217;s philanthropic network did not respond when asked for comments on these matters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":2342879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP20065422834694-1024x721.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[7380,6513,34730,41153,4188],"class_list":["post-2342878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-misinformation","tag-funding","tag-george-soros","tag-global-disinformation-index","tag-media"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP20065422834694-1024x721.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342878","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=2342878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2342878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2342879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2342878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2342878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2342878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}