Staff Reports
Texas and two staunch conservative media entities stand firm in their opposition to what they perceive as an unconstitutional "censorship agenda" financed by the State Department. The Daily Wire and the Federalist, in conjunction with Texas, have submitted a motion for a preliminary injunction this week, aiming to halt the Biden administration's backing of technology designed to target American speech and media.
Conservative outlets and Texas request court halt Biden 'censorship scheme' in lawsuit https://t.co/rFeLtOrt4w https://t.co/rFeLtOrt4w
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 8, 2024
Per legal documents, the State Department's Global Engagement Center office allocated funds to the Global Disinformation Index, a British think tank allegedly providing advertisers with lists of conservative websites to blacklist, and NewsGuard, a New York-based firm claiming to combat online "misinformation." The plaintiffs contend that this funding constitutes a direct violation of the First Amendment, as it seeks to stifle conservative voices and restrict the influence of disfavored media outlets.
The memo accompanying the motion asserts, "The U.S. Department of State, through its Global Engagement Center, is actively intervening in the news media market to suppress the reach and profitability of disfavored press outlets by financing the development, marketing, and promotion of censorship technology and private censorship enterprises to clandestinely suppress speech from a segment of the American press."
Texas and the media organizations are not alone in their legal actions; House Republicans on the Small Business Committee are demanding grant records from the State Department as part of a wider investigation into censorship. Additionally, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has subpoenaed the National Science Foundation for documents pertaining to governmental pressure on social media platforms to censor certain perspectives, contravening the First Amendment.
The lawsuit, naming Secretary of State Antony Blinken and top officials of the Global Engagement Center as defendants, alleges that the State Department funded "censorship technology" via the Global Disinformation Index's Disinfo Cloud platform. This platform, managed by investment group Park Advisors, received a $100,000 grant from the GEC in 2021. The plaintiffs argue that this funding inflicts irreparable damage on media outlets labeled as "unreliable" and "risky" by the State Department-supported technology.
Moreover, the plaintiffs contend that the State Department's actions encroach upon Texas's sovereign authority to enforce its legal statutes, notably HB 20, which mandates social media giants with significant market power to operate as common carriers. The lawsuit cites instances where private corporations, including Oracle and Microsoft, severed ties with the Global Disinformation Index due to concerns over freedom of speech, suggesting widespread opposition to the organization's blacklisting practices.
In response to the lawsuit, the State Department has refrained from commenting, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District, where the lawsuit was filed, has not issued a statement. Amidst the unfolding legal skirmish, the conservative plaintiffs remain resolute in their battle against what they view as an unconstitutional and detrimental censorship scheme perpetuated by the Biden administration.
