Censorship by Defunding

By Serop Stepanian, Toronto, 29 March 2023

When I recently opened one of the political websites I follow regularly, the following announcement caught my eyes: “WE NEED YOUR HELP!” followed by a plaintive message from the publisher: “Since XYZ [not the actual name of the site] is banned by the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) a U.S. and George Soros-funded group that controls information by controlling who gets the advertising dollars, XYZ is unable to fund through advertising. We kindly ask you to keep truth alive and directly Support Freedom and our Non-Corporate Uncensored Media. Join our membership now! It’s just $8 a month.”

I hadn’t heard of GDI or its nefarious scheme to silence media which didn’t toe the agenda-driven mainstream media’s line. As a regular reader of the electronic publication it was obvious the site was being punished for questioning U.S., European Union, and Israeli policies.

What is the the censorious and freedom of expression suppressing  GDI? What’s its agenda? Who are its principals? How is it funded?

The GDI is a British nonprofit with two affiliated non-profit groups in the United States. It claims: “We exist to disrupt online disinformation.” Simply put, its scheme is to locate electronic and traditional media that question certain policies of the West and pass their names to advertising agencies and companies recommending them not to advertise their products and services in the offending sites because the sites disseminate disinformation. “Disinformation” in this instance means news and commentary the GDI doesn’t want to see the light of day.

The self-styled ‘disinformation’ tracking group chases mostly what it considers conservative media outlets. The group boasts that it exist to disrupt online disinformation while it pats its back claiming its three pillars are transparency, independence, and neutrality.

The brazen GDI calls its anti-democratic scheme Dynamic Exclusion List. The list of offenders includes at least 2,000 websites. The organization’s head (CEO Clare Melford) brags the list has had “a significant impact on the advertising revenues” of websites which don’t observe the party line. Second in command at GDI is Dr. Daniel Rogers who worked for the U.S. intelligence services.

Who funds the GDI? The two main contributors are the National Endowment for Democracy (an offshoot of the State Department and the CIA) and George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF). Neocon and Zionist journalist Anne Applebaum and others of similar tincture are on the board of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). NED and OSF are active around the world, including in Armenia. In 2021, NED received $300 million from the U.S. State Department.

GDI supporters also include Argosy Foundation, Catera Foundation, the UK Commonwealth & Development Office, Luminate, Craig Newmark Philanthropy, Knight Foundation, Bohemian Foundation, Reset, Disinfo Cloud, and the European Commission.

Here is a short list of the websites GDI thinks aren’t sufficiently loyal to the West: the New York Post, American Spectator, Newsmax, the Federalist, American Conservative, Blaze, Daily Wire… Media outlets that question governments, the mainstream media, and the corporate agenda become automatically anti-West, Russophile and conspiracy-peddling racist misogynists… the standard litany of sins rolled by the virtue-signaling vigilantes.

GDI’s overreaching censorship is funded by the U.S, the EU, and variety of companies and foundations intent at suppressing news and commentary they consider contrary to their interests and ideologies.

Jeffrey Clark, ex-acting head of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Decision has said:  “Any outfit that engages in censorship shouldn’t have any contact with the government because they’re tainted by association with a group that is doing something fundamentally against American values.” The GDI is certainly engaged in conduct that is either legally questionable or at least morally questionable.

GDI is not alone in the suppression of information it doesn’t like. The giant social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter regularly indulge in silencing news and opinion they don’t approve. In late March, Twitter shut Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Green’s congressional account. It had previously banned President Donald Trump.

Despite the truthful words of Mr. Clark, the open conspiracy to suppress contrary opinion continues not only in the United States but throughout the West.

Welcome to the Brave New World and the suffocating embrace of Big Brother.

Welcome to the dystopia predicted by Aldous Huxley and George Orwell.

Welcome to Mono Facts and Mono Truths, compliments of governments, corporations, and elitist foundations.

What you read is not necessarily true or accurate unless the GDI says it is.

How many people will send $8 a month to XYZ to keep it afloat?