House Oversight Committee to Investigate NewsGuard

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has announced the commencement of an investigation into NewsGuard. The investigation will focus on the news-rating system’s impact on First Amendment rights, as well as any potential sponsorship from government entities, be it federal, state, local, or foreign.

In a letter addressed to NewsGuard co-Chief Executive Officers Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz, Comer requested documents related to the company’s contracts with federal agencies and information regarding their adherence to policies aimed at preventing bias, as reported by The Hill.

Comer emphasized that the committee aims to independently evaluate whether government entities have influenced NewsGuard’s intervention in protected speech. The chairman clarified that the concern lies in potential government interference with freedom of expression, rather than a business providing data-based analysis to protect brands.

NewsGuard claims to evaluate news sources based on reliability, with scores assigned by expert journalists using a 0-100 scale. The company assesses whether websites frequently publish fake or misleading content, distinguish opinion from news, use misleading headlines, disclose financing and ownership, and identify conflicts of interest.

Critics argue that NewsGuard exhibits bias and subjectivity in its ratings, with co-founder Brill being a Democratic Party donor, and co-founder Crovitz having ties to left-wing organizations. Studies conducted by the Media Research Center found that NewsGuard tends to rate liberal media outlets higher than conservative ones, leading to accusations of censorship of conservative viewpoints.

Elon Musk has also criticized NewsGuard, labeling it a “scam” and calling for its disbandment. The company’s ratings are utilized by advertising agencies to regulate advertising on various media platforms. Congress has restricted Pentagon advertising spending with agencies that utilize misinformation services like NewsGuard.

Crovitz defended NewsGuard’s work for the Pentagon, emphasizing their focus on countering disinformation efforts from hostile foreign entities. He claimed that NewsGuard is an apolitical service that provides unbiased ratings to news outlets, regardless of their political leanings.

Chairman Comer stated that the committee will examine the truthfulness, transparency, and conflict of interest management of inquiries to ensure the public good is not compromised.