The State Department plans to spend up to $100,000 training youth in the Ivory Coast how to design games that will “combat misinformation,” according to federal funding documents.
Until Aug. 5, the State Department is accepting applications from outside groups to receive taxpayer dollars for the program, which is called “Unmasking Misinformation through Gaming,” the documents show. The announcement comes as the Biden administration faces heightened scrutiny from Republican lawmakers for funding organizations, including the Global Disinformation Index and NewsGuard, that downrank right-leaning websites in a manner that the GOP says is biased and an example of the government acting contrary to freedom of speech.
The Federalist and the Daily Wire, a pair of conservative media outlets, are suing the State Department’s Global Engagement Center over funding to GDI and NewsGuard that the websites say facilitated “one of the most egregious government operations to censor the American press in the history of the nation.” NewsGuard co-CEO Gordon Crovitz told the Washington Examiner, “Any claim that NewsGuard is biased in its website ratings against conservative websites is flat-out false.”
“This Public Diplomacy Initiative aims to create a network of young Ivorian leaders who work across national borders to solve disinformation problems,” funding documents for the program say, noting that the workshop “will advance themes related to countering misinformation, harnessing technology to tackle shared challenges, advancing human rights, and promoting civic engagement.”
Many Republican members of Congress have argued the State Department is ill-equipped to work on such “disinformation” and “misinformation” programs due to its issues in funding organizations meddling in U.S. affairs, such as GDI. The Ivory Coast grant program is anticipated to begin in September 2024, according to the State Department.
“Proposals should seek to convene 60-70 skilled gaming industry professionals and game design students for a four-day program comprised of a two-day workshop led by American and local experts on designing games with social messages, followed by a two-day game jam during which participants form teams and conceptualize games that could address pressing misinformation issues in Côte d’Ivoire,” funding documents say.
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It’s not the first time the U.S. government has shelled out cash on game programs linked to “disinformation” and “misinformation.”
To the ire of Republican lawmakers, the Global Engagement Center notably spent $275,000 in 2021 to help make a video game called Cat Park that “inoculates players against real-world disinformation,” according to documents.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, the State Department said its “counter-disinformation work does not censor anyone.”
“This funding opportunity will empower Ivorian storytellers, developers, and gamers to recognize propaganda and disinformation and harness their design skills and playing abilities to effectively push back against it,” the State Department said. “Foreign information manipulation is a constantly evolving global challenge. Meeting this challenge in Cote d’ Ivoire requires creative homegrown solutions rooted in respect for freedom of expression. A resilient information environment is essential for national security.”
