“Revealed: The Israel Lobbyists Writing America’s News”
The article alleges that two recent articles published on MintPress News, a far-left website, claimed that “Israeli spies” were writing America’s news and that the Israel Lobby was controlling the media. The evidence presented in these articles is flimsy, relying on brief internships and former military service as proof of a grand conspiracy.
The website MintPress News, founded by Mnar Adley, has a clear ideological slant, combining anti-Israeli narratives with pro-Assad and pro-Putin propaganda. Its cartoons often feature Stars of David in nefarious contexts, and it hosts a podcast by the British rapper Lowkey, a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement who has been accused of antisemitism.
MintPress News is not alone in its overtly ideological and disinformation-driven content. Other websites, such as The Grayzone and Red, operate within a similar niche, catering to a left-wing audience and promoting alternative perspectives on international politics.
The Grayzone, a website founded by Max Blumenthal, has published articles blaming the “Israel Lobby” for fueling racism in Europe and claiming that Israel is responsible for many of the victims in the October 7 attack on Israel. These claims are based on cherry-picked sources, misquote Israeli media, and ignore the role of Hamas in the conflict.
Red, an English-language website, reports on left-wing, anti-Israel demonstrations in Germany and hosts interviews with terrorist organizations. Its founder, Huseyin Dogru, previously worked for RT, the Russian state-owned propaganda outlet, and has links to Moscow.
MintPress News, The Grayzone, and Red have all received funding from unclear sources, including anonymous investors, state-funded bodies, and anonymous crowdfunding campaigns. In some cases, this money has come from pro-Assad and pro-Putin sources.
Despite this lack of transparency, these websites have managed to build a significant following on social media, with tens of thousands of followers on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X. Their disinformation and conspiracy theories have been shared by sympathizers and have spread to other online forums.
According to Roman Osadchuk, a research associate at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, the content of these websites is “helpful for authoritarians and pro-regime outlets to point to, applying plausible deniability.” They have been quoted as sources by Russian news outlets, and their content has been used to spread disinformation and propaganda.
In conclusion, the Israel Lobbyists Writing America’s News article is just one example of the pro-Semitic disinformation and conspiracy theories peddled by MintPress News and similar websites. These websites have built a following by promoting anti-Israel, pro-Assad, and pro-Putin narratives, often using state-funded or anonymous funding sources. As the world grapples with the problem of disinformation, it is essential to recognize the role of these websites in spreading harmful, ideological content and to hold them accountable for their actions.