Summarised by Centrist
PragerU has launched a campaign against NewsGuard, accusing the for-profit company of using “insidious” practices to blacklist and undermine conservative media outlets.
In a video, PragerU CEO Marissa Streit argues that NewsGuard’s leadership and staff are predominantly left-leaning and actively work against right-leaning organisations like PragerU, Breitbart News, and the Daily Caller.
Streit explains that NewsGuard uses a tactic of sending accusatory questions to these outlets and labels them unreliable if they fail to respond satisfactorily.
The report quotes Streit: “If you fail their test, and you will, NewsGuard informs their clients — PR firms, ad agencies, major corporations — that you’re toxic and that they should run in the opposite direction.” Streit adds that this “can get very expensive, very fast” as companies lose crucial advertising dollars.
Streit claims that NewsGuard enables Big Tech conservative censorship without “leaving any fingerprints.” She also cites the Defense Department’s $700,000 payment to monitor “misinformation” as an example of government censorship.
The American Federation of Teachers has also partnered with NewsGuard to screen classroom content arguing that NewsGuard’s red-flagging of sources reflects their leftist bias.
Additionally, Breitbart News reported that NewsGuard enforces government narratives and has ties to the intelligence community.