Submitted by Open the Books
Campaign season brought with it a steady stream of accusations that various parties and platforms were spreading misinformation and disinformation.
Most recently, the scandals at FEMA over avoiding homes with Trump signs was quickly slapped with a “misinformation” label...until FEMA itself admitted it had happened. MSNBC anchor Jen Psaki suggested “laws have to change” to combat the scourge.
With the misinformation category being weaponized across the political spectrum, we took a look at how invested government has become in studying and “combatting” it using your tax dollars. That research can provide the intellectual ammunition to censor people online.
Since 2021, the Biden-Harris administration has spent $267 million on research grants with the term “misinformation” in the proposal.
Of course, the Covid pandemic was the driving force behind so much of the misinformation debate. Sure enough, the feds have spent at least $127 million in grants specifically targeted to study the spread of “misinformation” -- or to help people “overcome” it, so to speak -- by persuading them to go along with Covid-related public health recommendations and mandates.
In one particularly brazen instance, $200,000 was spent slandering President-elect Trump himself. The grant resulted in a paper suggesting populist leaders and movements in various countries kept people from coming together in “solidarity” and public officials need to have the “main say” on health guidance next time.
In other words, it would be better if your voice were silenced in favor of the “expert” class.