The Disinfo Lab Saga – How the Reckless Western Media Received a Rude Awakening!

• Disinfo Lab has put forward an unimaginable resistance to their malicious intentions. Unable to counter them with facts, the Washington Post has published a long tirade targeting the Disinfo Lab.
• The DisInfo Lab’s remarkable success in questioning the monopoly of Western media and its biases is quite an achievement.
• The Western media manages to make their fabrications accepted as truths in academia, and in other countries, and even convince politicians to utter them.

Recently a pugnacious article was published in the Washington Post targeting the Disinfo Lab. I barely knew about Disinfo Lab before but after reading Washington Post’s article I learnt many things about it. I felt proud knowing that such a small entity could have such a huge influence! Disinfo Lab, as stated on its website, is a legal entity with the motive of unveiling fake news and propaganda that intends to create disharmony among people. They take pride in being Asia’s first DisInfo Lab, with completely unbiased research and presentation on all sorts of nefarious activities taking place all around.

“Decoding the Pattern” is what they believe in, before blindly agreeing to a piece of fake news spread deliberately to cloud the minds of innocent people with malicious content. We have not forgotten how the Western media tried to tarnish our country’s image in the recent past. The day Narendra Modi became prime minister they began to feel the heat of right-wing media resurgence. Modi never fell into the trap of Lutyens or leftist media houses. That is the reason why Western media tries to project India in a negative light, only because the government is headed by an ardent Hindu with devout followers. 

Right from the early days, the main focus of the Marxist media when it comes to India is to be indignant toward Indian culture and nationalistic leaders. In many instances, they have attempted to interfere in our internal matters. They have tried and failed to create unrest on our soil. A few months ago, the BBC came up with a ‘movie’ on the 2002 Gujarat Riot where they attempted to pin the blame for the riots on Modi. But the BBC failed to achieve the same as they faced the setback of their lifetime! Even today, the NYT, Economist, et al address PM Modi with the adjective ‘Hindu Nationalist Prime Minister’. There are a dozen groups based in several countries who are behind all this. Unfortunately, political opportunists within the country and many who wish to harvest a fortune are colluding with such forces in denigrating our country’s image. 

However, Disinfo Lab has put forward an unimaginable resistance to their malicious intentions. Unable to counter them with facts, the Washington Post has published a long tirade targeting the Disinfo Lab. The leftist media in the country is using the Washington Post’s article to further the lies they framed. Unable to find lasting success, we can easily construe that the Western media has become restless and they will try every trick in the game to sabotage Modi’s win in the 2024 general elections. 

Scared of their own construct?

The articles in newspapers like the WaPo are just the facade of a high-profile lobby of Western media behind such efforts. According to the article, Disinfo Lab uses “factual information to make unsubstantiated claims” that America’s statisticians, researchers, human rights activists, and Indian American Social workers are conspiring, and partnering with Islamic leaders, and adherents of billionaire George Soros. Their charges are contradictory to their assertions. As per the article, reports published by Disinfo Lab have wide reach in and outside India. They must be reminded that all these years they used every method to make their reports widely popular. Many times false information and fabricated facts touched billions of people and spread like wildfire. Now why are they afraid of their own construct?

“We are always right!”

According to The Washington Post, Disinfo Lab was able to popularize its reports through ‘Modi supporters’, ‘devotees of Modi’, ‘right-wing Indians’, and ‘Hindu nationalists’! (Are there no Muslim nationalists in India?). They state in their lengthy article that Disinfo Lab reports are making a lot of news not just within India but also beyond its borders. According to WaPo, ‘approval of their reports by political figures in government,’ ‘endorsement by influential people’, and ‘support from the elite’ are reasons for the widespread reach of Disinfo Lab. 

Let us, for a moment, assume that their assertions are true. What is wrong with that? How do globally renowned but biased news agencies operate? Until recently, the Western media enjoyed an undisputed monopoly. They ruled the roost in the name of socialism. It might surprise you that the owner of The Washington Post is none other than Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and one of the richest people on earth. Another notable person is Mark Benioff, the owner of Salesforce, one of the biggest software companies globally, who owns TIME Magazine. It might surprise you that 90% of Britain’s newspapers come primarily from these three media houses: News UK, Daily Mail Group, and Reach. 

There is no rationale behind the unhindered animosity the BBC has for India except its inherent colonial biases. We all know that many prominent Indian and international leaders and intellectuals have used this biased information. Has anyone written about it? Even today, when intellectuals open their mouths, they cite BBC’s articles, Harvard’s research or the resorts of one of the several anti-India NGOs. One such prominent anit-India NGO is the Ford Foundation. The true intent of this NGO and the web they weave to weaken India from within have been vividly exposed by Rajeev Malhotra in his book ‘Breaking India.’ In short, as per them whatever they have written is always right, but replicating the same isn’t advisable. The facts they have reported so far are beyond question and if someone challenges their credibility, even slightly, it is coercion!

DisInfo Lab Uncovered their true face

The DisInfo Lab’s remarkable success and extensive coverage in international media today is quite an achievement. It has become the biggest threat to the monopoly of the Western media and its biases. Washington Post comparing the DisInfo Lab to the KGB of Russia during the Cold War era indeed reveals their true intention. Why does George Soros interfere in India’s internal affairs? Should we keep quiet when foreign elements conspire against us? DisInfo Lab exposed his intentions and showcased the same to the entire world. Their anger and frustration at being exposed are visible in the WaPo article. 

Disinfo Lab’s reports answered several questions. Some of them were:- Who is Rep. Jayapal to the Washington Post? Why did Jaypal go and meet Biden before Modi visited the USA? Why is she spreading misinformation about human rights in India? Was Manipur violence a conspiracy by these forces? These were some of the questions raised by DisInfo Lab, which irked anti-India forces. Friedrich, based in California, has close ties with leaders from Khalistan and Pakistan’s intelligence agency. His vocal criticism of Modi was notably harsh, and DisInfo Lab published a hundred-page report exposing his connections to his promoters. Despite Friedrich acknowledging his connections exposed by the DisInfo Lab, why did the Washington Post take an adversarial stance? 

A few other questions raised by Disinfo Lab were:- Is it necessary for Rahul Gandhi to bring dishonour to our nation during his foreign trips? Shouldn’t Sunita Vishwanathan who guided Rahul Gandhi be exposed? Why was the relationship between Sunita and Soros kept a secret? Disinfo Lab exposed such anti-social elements in their reports which could not be digested by Western media houses. 

Exploiting India’s poverty, caste, and religious differences to create faultlines by these media personalities and politicians was rampant. But today, India has changed. If our ingenious experts leverage the latest mediums to promote our ancient traditions and heritage, why should they face adversity? Earlier, they ridiculed and then ignored us but now they have realised that India’s patriots when united are a significant player on the global stage. Hence, institutions like DisInfo Lab are relentlessly trying to exert international pressure.

Factories that manufacture lies!

It is known that the Western media is an unethical system. Though this is not a new realisation, here is how it works.

1. They first receive money from a donor, and then write in their favour. All the evidence for the claims made is concealed in the murky waters of anonymity. For instance, in a Washington Post article, there were ten anonymous individuals mentioned in a report. These nameless sources provided information about an official from India’s intelligence department (RAW), Lieutenant Colonel Diya Satyapati who founded this legal and media entity. Disinfo Lab responded, calling it all lies. Now, these anonymous people could be who they claim to be or might be fabricated. So, a falsehood takes birth within the journalist’s consciousness.

2. The second step involves other media outlets proliferating these fabricated reports. For example, the Wire, Scroll, The Print, Frontline, Deccan Herald, and other newspapers, propagate the same lies (about Disinfo Lab’s owners being part of a clandestine division) through discussions based on the articles that appear in The Washington Post. 

3. Following this, one or two noted columnists take all the stories woven around the false claims and craft them into books. They portray the fabricated lies as something that seems like the truth. They quote from points 1 & 2 above as references. 

4. Then, they release these books during literary conferences and engage in elaborate discussions. Here, the authors paint their falsehoods as gospel truths which are then reported as authentic. These issues are then discussed in the parliament, political rallies, and every other public forum.

They manage to make these fabrications accepted as truths in academia, and in other countries, and even convince politicians to utter them. Using these four steps, a lie becomes an accepted historical fact. Public memory is fleeting and those who realise this have sifted through enough information over the years to know what happened. Disinfo Lab serves as a means to achieve the same. There is innumerable evidence of lies spread in the past. The Babri Masjid demolition, Gujarat riots, intolerance, and many such topics showcase how they have turned their lies into our reality. This needs to be countered by many more organizations like Disinfo Lab. The fabricators of lies must be confronted in their own language just as another thorn is used to remove a thorn. Well done, Disinfo Lab team!

_{(The author is an engineer and a writer on political affairs who regularly contributes to dailies and weeklies. The opinions expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of SamvadaWorld)}

Vikram Joshi