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A well-known researcher in the field of disinformation filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Wednesday, alleging the network broadcast falsehoods that whipped up of a firestorm of public and online harassment against her—which put her in harm’s way and damaged her career.
Last year, Nina Jankowicz, 34, was tapped to lead the Biden administration’s Disinformation Governance Board, a new unit within the Department of Homeland Security that aimed to “coordinate countering misinformation related to homeland security.”
But the board, and Jankowicz’s position on it as “disinformation czar,” were almost immediately misconstrued by conservatives and right-wing trolls as an Orwellian “Ministry of Truth.” Within a few weeks, the avalanche of criticism led to the “pausing” of the board, and Jankowicz’s resignation.