Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) says the taxpayer-funded international news outlet Voice of America (VOA) is promoting disinformation against publicly elected U.S. officials—including himself—through its “fact-checking” site Polygraph.info. In a letter to the Biden government-backed news outlet’s acting director, John Lippman, the Florida Republican details how VOA broke their own “Journalistic Code” in publishing their attack on him.
“The VOA has a clear ‘Journalistic Code,’ a public statement of its alleged principles, which were clearly violated in this case, and I ask you to take down this demonstrably false “fact check” by Polygraph.info,” Rep. Gaetz wrote to Lippman. He continued: “In fact, the sources you do cite in the piece, contrary to your Journalistic Code, clearly do not have firsthand knowledge of the facts on the ground, and worse, you don’t report any disagreement here.”
Last week, Rep. Gaetz published a detailed report on the current status of American troops in the African country of Niger. The Congressman conducted multiple interviews with U.S. active-duty personnel stationed in the county who outlined the deteriorating state of equipment and resources.
“Since the U.S.-trained Nigerien coup leaders took control of the country in mid-2023, there has been a cessation of diplomatic overflights. This has left the Department of Defense unable to execute planned troop rotations, in addition to being unable to deliver critical medical supplies, equipment, and other routine materials,” Gaetz reported in his investigation into the matter.
According to the Congressman, Polygraph.info‘s published “fact check” claims there are “continuing talks” between U.S. and Niger officials, which Gaetz details as categorically false. Additionally, Gaetz informs Lippman that no one from Polygraph.info ever contacted his office regarding the “fact check.”
“At root, I find it amazing that the U.S. government is paying an entity to put out misinformation about U.S. policy and labeling that propaganda outfit as a “fact checking” organization. Do better,” Gaetz concludes. The Congressman asks Lippman to respond by May 1, 2024, and remove the false Polygraph.info “fact check.”
