Staff Reports
The Biden administration never seems to run out of ways to fritter away taxpayer dollars. This time, the State Department has concocted a plan to spend up to $100,000 on training youth in the Ivory Coast to design games purportedly meant to “combat misinformation.” What a stellar priority, especially when American communities face their own myriad challenges.
Eager to throw taxpayer funds at anything under the sun, the State Department is now looking for outside groups to jump on this latest bandwagon. Dubbed the “Unmasking Misinformation through Gaming” program, this initiative comes amidst mounting frustration among Republican lawmakers who see this as yet another example of the administration’s penchant for funding left-leaning organizations that suppress right-wing voices. The Global Disinformation Index and NewsGuard are prime examples, often accused of downranking conservative websites under the guise of fighting disinformation.
Predictably, reputable conservative outlets like The Federalist and the Daily Wire are taking the State Department to court over this continued assault on free speech. They argue that funding organizations like GDI and NewsGuard constitutes one of the most blatant attempts at government-sponsored censorship in American history. This latest foray into gaming workshops in the Ivory Coast seems no different—a taxpayer-funded plot to churn out more leftist propaganda under the pretense of countering disinformation.
The State Department’s sales pitch is that this is a “Public Diplomacy Initiative” aimed at training young Ivorians to tackle misinformation and advance human rights. But given the department’s track record, many conservatives remain skeptical at best. The program promises to bring together 60-70 skilled gaming professionals and students for a grand four-day gaming event. During this time, attendees will supposedly learn how to design video games that combat the ever-elusive specter of misinformation. Because it seems nothing combats global disinformation issues quite like amateur video games from West Africa.
The State Department plans to spend up to $100,000 training youth in the Ivory Coast how to design games that will “combat misinformation,” according to federal funding documents.https://t.co/7N9yGvR2v7
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) July 12, 2024
This isn’t the first time the U.S. government has thrown money at questionable gaming initiatives. A glaring example from 2021 saw the Global Engagement Center fritter away $275,000 on a video game called Cat Park, ostensibly designed to “inoculate players against real-world disinformation.” If that doesn’t make taxpayers sleep easier at night, what will?
As Republican lawmakers continue to challenge these dubious expenditures, the State Department shows no signs of slowing down its spending spree. It looks like Ivan the Terrible can rest easy as long as bureaucrats are designing games to tackle misinformation—or is it just misinformation to think that’s a wise use of money?
