Note: The views and opinions expressed in blog/editorial posts are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the views or opinions of Misbar.
A Department of Homeland Security group, set up recently to combat disinformation, has been paused amid a “coordinated right-wing smear campaign against its director Nina Jankowicz who is stepping down,” according to The Washington Post.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the board has been grossly and intentionally mischaracterized.
“It was never about censorship or policing speech in any manner...False attacks have become a significant distraction from the department's vitally important work to combat disinformation that threatens the safety and security of the American people,” a spokesperson for the department said.
News reports mentioned that the Department of Homeland Security initially decided to shut down the board and decided just after to pause the group’s work. The department also announced that the board would not operate until they finish conducting a review on how to work on combating disinformation which will last 75 days.
Nina Jankowicz Resigns
According to a CNN article, Nina Jankowicz, the disinformation expert with experience working on Ukraine and Russia issues, “hired to run the Department of Homeland Security's newly-created disinformation board has resigned after the department paused the board.”
“I had hoped we would be more transparent about how the board was going to operate and what it was going to do...I think the information vacuum kind of directed a lot of the attacks and digging around in my personal life,” she said, responding to the attacks against her.
The disinformation expert told CNN that the situation was frustrating and saddening. She also mentioned that she accepted the job to serve the American people and bring her expertise to combat disinformation and its threats.
Jankowicz also expressed her disappointment in how the board became a distraction from the department's vital work. And decided, with the board’s uncertain future and its work paused, to leave the department and return to her work in the public sphere.
Misbar’s Sources:
