The Global Disinformation Index (GDI) recently released findings that listed Conservative media outlets, such as The Federalist, the New York Post, and others, as the 'riskiest' information outlets. Unsurprisingly enough, this study was research, and written, by students at the predominantly liberal University of Texas at Austin.
Political science professor at the University of Houston Jacqui Baly says this is really not surprising, especially with how disjointed the political landscape has become.
"Universities and colleges are becoming more and more closed minded. Where you have education...you are supposed to have open-mindedness," she says. "But unfortunately, that is not happening at a lot of universities."
Baly says when she joined the UH staff over a decade ago, there was more of a political middle ground. Now, it is either one or the other.
"As the country became more politically divided, then you saw the campuses become more isolated, and censor more conservative viewpoints," she says.
It is fairly shocking to see a state funded school performing this study, and better yet, they do not even list their actual methodology and research. They say it is withheld because of 'confidentiality of trade secrets,' and 'certain commercial or financial information.'
One step even further, they do not list one single liberal, or left-leaning media outlet on their report. Not a single one. That is cause for some concern.
"They are presenting a premise that all of the left outlets are safe, and that is very daunting, and disturbing," she says.
Baly says too, that no matter where you fall politically, no state school should be pushing agendas like this.
"When you have a public university trying to push something like that, it is very troubling. That is not what a public institution should be doing," she says. "They are supposed to teach students all philosophies, both left and right, to come to their own conclusions."
She does say that the students, and professors involved, may soon face some backlash over the project.
Photo: AFP