NY Mag: ‘Disinformation’ a ‘fantasy’ that lets liberals ‘lie to themselves,’ avoid ‘agony of self-reflection’

A New York Magazine piece argued Friday it’s a good thing the Disinformation Governance Board is on "pause" because otherwise it would have let liberals continue to "lie to themselves," avoid "the agony of self-reflection" and only "exacerbate the populist revolt."

Author Sam Adler-Bell began his article with some skepticism towards the Washington Post’s recent assessment that a coordinated attack shut down the board in which "far-right influencers attempt to identify a target, present a narrative and then repeat mischaracterizations across social media and websites." 

Adler-Bell wasn’t so given to this dramatic reading of the situation, rather, he claimed it was a typical "activist endeavor." 

"The right’s campaign against the Disinformation Board resembled any other successful advocacy effort to halt a government initiative," he wrote, adding, "when it comes to political messaging in our polarized age, par for the course."

Having inoculated his readers from the thought that what the right did wasn’t a horrific propaganda campaign warranting arrest and punishment (former Disinfo Board executive director Nina Jankowicz claimed that conservative attacks on the board threatened "national security"), Adler-Bell then dinged liberals for their efforts to stop "disinformation" altogether.