Over the weekend, the Biden administration rolled out his Ministry of Truth under the Department of Homeland Security called the Disinformation Governance Board. This clearly Orwellian (1984) machination has rightly been the subject of scrutiny, but on Sunday’s Reliable Sources, CNN host and chief media apologist Brian Stelter suggested the real problem was the “right-wing uproar” and how they’re getting angry at something that they don’t have a clue about.
Despite the fact the story appeared on CNN’s State of the Union a couple of hours prior in which host Dana Bashs pressed DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on the issue, Stelter claimed it was “mostly a Fox-world story.” A fact he had to admit to later.
He was speaking to Moira Whelan of the “non-partisan” National Democratic Institute, who said she was “aware” of the concerns but dismissed them. She insisted “it’s a board, exactly as we say.”
In his question to her, Stelter suggested that the people criticizing the board are just too ignorant and don’t know what they’re talking about. “But I don't think people know what it is and what it isn't. And there's just been a lot of right-wing uproar without knowing what it is,” he whined.
“It is meant to bring together people, to coordinate a lot of the efforts inside DHS,” she claimed. “They've all been doing counter-disinformation efforts for a while to give us accurate information about human rights abuses but also about disasters and where people can get assistance.”
Adding: “So, coordinating that activity, making it speak with one voice and being a stronger advocate to tech companies and engaging the public and academia. That's really what they're after.”
Without addressing the fact that the board was headed up by Nina Jankowicz, an avid denier of the 100 percent-true Hunter Biden laptop story and who has peddled disinformation about it, Stelter scoffed at the criticism and said the mission of the board (as claimed by Whelan) “sounds like common sense.”
Stelter then decried how he goes online and sees it called “Joe Biden's Ministry of Truth.” “Like there's this incredible backlash to something that sounds like basic government bureaucracy,” he lamented and tried to downplay the board.
For their next line of defense, Whelan and Stelter agreed it was too early for this kind of opposition because the board hasn’t taken action on anything yet:
WHELAN: The big litmus test is civil society included? Is the media included? And so far, everything we’ve heard about the board, which is new and just started,—
STELTER: Right.
WHELAN: -- shows us that is the intention…
Now, imagine if former President Trump created a Ministry of Truth and installed a sycophant to run it. Stelter wouldn’t be downplaying it as a “basic government bureaucracy.” He’d be pulling out what’s left of his hair and calling it a threat to reality.
This defense for the disturbing Ministry of Truth was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from AT&T and United Healthcare. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Reliable Sources
May 1, 2022
11:42:34 a.m. Eastern(…)
BRIAN STELTER: Here in the U.S. there's been an uproar in recent days about the Department of Homeland Security setting up what they call a Disinformation Governance Board. This has been mostly a Fox-world story. It did come up earlier today on CNN's State of the Union. But I don't think people know what it is and what it isn't. And there's just been a lot of right-wing uproar without knowing what it is. So, are you aware of this at all? What is all of this about?
MOIRA WHELAN (National Democratic Institute): Aware of it and I think the first thing is that it’s a board, exactly as we say. It is meant to bring together people, to coordinate a lot of the efforts inside DHS. That means law enforcement, that means emergency services like FEMA. They've all been doing counter-disinformation efforts for a while to give us accurate information about human rights abuses but also about disasters and where people can get assistance.
So, coordinating that activity, making it speak with one voice and being a stronger advocate to tech companies and engaging the public and academia. That's really what they're after.
STELTER: But Moira, that sounds like common sense. But when I Google this, all I see is, like, ‘Joe Biden's Ministry of Truth’ and ‘they’re going to steal--” Like there's this incredible backlash to something that sounds like basic government bureaucracy.
WHELAN: It is basic government bureaucracy. And around the world what we're asking for governments to do is step up more and to play a bigger role in advocating for people.
The big litmus test is civil society included? Is the media included? And so far, everything we’ve heard about the board, which is new and just started,—
STELTER: Right.
WHELAN: -- shows us that is the intention, is to be fully transparent and to demand more from our government in terms of how they protect us from disinformation, and enable us to have information that protects our country, and advances our ability to survive in a major incident, for instance.
(…)
