Deal Cut To Put Leftist “NewsGuard” In Virtually All Public Schools

Remember the deal that required CNN to be the only channel shown in Airports?

Get ready for the same thing to happen to your kids’ schools, this time with leftist “fact checker” NewsGuard.

Most social media users have come across the so-called “fact checks” that pop up beneath certain posts and links.

These advisories purportedly inform readers that the information contained in the flagged post is either incorrect or lacks sufficient context.

Many conservatives have expressed the belief that such fact-checkers often have a liberal bias and seek to diminish the reach of right-wing content.

Now, some parents are concerned that a similar tactic will be employed in the nation’s public school classrooms.

The controversy stems from a new deal between education officials and a service known as NewsGuard.

According to Axios:

NewsGuard, a service that uses trained journalists to rate news and information sites, will become available to millions of public school students this week through a partnership with the American Federation of Teachers.

Why it matters: Kids increasingly turn to the internet when looking for homework help or doing research for school projects. But unlike books in a library or articles in a journal, online resources can be difficult to filter for quality and misinformation.

News of this partnership quickly resulted in social media backlash from critics across the ideological spectrum.

Leftist, “credibility” arbiter @NewsGuardRating is threatening the quality and integrity of the education system in every state.

We signed a letter with our Free Speech Alliance warning governors of how NewsGuard is threatening free speech.https://t.co/pqNF1FrzEQ

— Media Research Center (@theMRC) March 3, 2022

Did you know: There's this company that partners with the U.S. government & the WHO called NewsGuard to suppress Americans' free speech?

This front group is spearheading an unconstitutional attack on freedom of speech and the press to undermine critics of the U.S. government. pic.twitter.com/QoeyHFQ5gN

— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) March 2, 2022

American Federation of Teachers inked a deal with NewsGuard — a for-profit “fact-checking” company with deep ties to Big Pharma — to help students in U.S. classrooms “navigate a sea of online disinformation.”https://t.co/eQNnVWkZ1b

— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) February 28, 2022

There seem to be a few major reasons that some parents believe this is a potentially dangerous development.

One of the most prominent concerns is related to NewsGuard’s corporate connections.

The Defender explained:

Helping children become more media literate and better able to spot misinformation online appears, at face value, to be a noble goal.

However, a closer look at NewsGuard’s advisers, partners and investors reveals a web of interests closely linked to the military, intelligence, media and political establishments, as well as to the world of corporate marketing — including an advertising agency sued for illegally marketing opioids.

Since its inception, NewsGuard has attracted skepticism and courted controversy — including in the form of this 2019 news segment.

Are you concerned about this partnership between public schools and NewsGuard?