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The New York Times revived Disinformation Governance Board discussion in a new article on Wednesday about how the board's demise has made it "nearly impossible" to address the "threat" of disinfo.
The Disinformation Governance Board was originally a subset of the Department of Homeland Security intended to monitor domestic threats of misinformation. The board was put on "pause" in May after massive backlash and concerns over free speech.
Steven Lee Myers and Eileen Sullivan from the New York Times argued that this backlash has become "deeply partisan" despite "wide agreement" that disinformation campaigns are a threat.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies before the House Judiciary Committee, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, April 28, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
"There is wide agreement across the federal government that coordinated disinformation campaigns threaten to exacerbate public health emergencies, stoke ethnic and racial divisions and even undermine democracy itself. The board’s fate, however, has underscored how deeply partisan the issue has become in Washington, making it nearly impossible to consider addressing the threat," Myers and Sullivan wrote.
"The failure to act, according to experts, has left openings for new waves of disinformation ahead of November’s midterm elections," they continued.
The piece also highlighted former executive director of the board Nina Jankowicz, claiming, "A prominent author and researcher in the field of disinformation, who once advised Ukraine’s government, Ms. Jankowicz became a focus of the furor, targeted online by false or misleading information about her role in what critics denounced as a Ministry of Truth."
The article also emphasized how disinformation has now become entrenched in politically divided issues.
An image of the entrance to the New York Times building in New York City NY. (DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)
"The threats from disinformation today involve issues that not long ago might have transcended partisan politics. Instead, disinformation has become mired in the country’s deepening partisan and geographical divides over issues like abortion, guns and climate change," the piece read.
The New York Times was one of many media outlets that originally ignored the news about the disinfo board when it originally emerged in April. Nevertheless, the publication now suggests that disinformation was likely behind the end of the board, saying it was "undone in part by forces it was meant to combat, including distortions of the board’s intent and powers."
According to the article, "conservative commentators…pounced," the "board quickly became a new foil in an old Republican campaign narrative," and Jankowicz was "a particular target for the Republicans."
An image of Nina Jankowicz from Twitter and a hand scrolling through 'fake news' (Arkadiusz Warguła/iStock)
"The right recognizes it is a way to whip up people in a furor," Jankowicz said. "The problem is there are very real national security issues here, and not being able to talk about this in a mature way is a real disservice to the country."
Jankowicz later promoted the article on her Twitter account.
"In every Congressional testimony I've given, I've emphasized that disinformation is a democratic issue, not a partisan one. The current polarized, hysterical climate around imaginary versions of counter-disinformation work makes doing it impossible," Jankowicz tweeted.
Despite this, Jankowicz later insisted that the piece wasn’t about her after being called out by the Washington Examiner’s Jerry Dunleavy.
"This piece isn’t about me. Did you read it? I know it’s easier to just look at the pictures," Jankowicz tweeted.
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Regarding why her photo was in the article, Jankowicz responded, "Ever heard of a ‘peg’? That’s what my experience was for this story. Just because there’s a photo of me doesn’t make it ‘about me.’ It’s about the broader implications of the politicization of disinformation, as anyone who gives it a fair read will understand."
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