R.I. Teacher Warns That DHS-Funded 'Media Literacy' Program Will 'Indoctrinate Children'
Say what you will about the evil progressives who are destroying this country, but you cannot deny they have been good at playing the long game. Over decades, they have invaded the institutions upon which this country is built, stripping them down brick by brick and rebuilding them according to Karl Marx's blueprints.
Radical leftists realized early on the critical importance of taking over the education system. It's far easier to take over a well-established nation and recreate it by raising future generations to believe their ideology beginning at a young age. Schools were once institutions where children went to learn to be productive citizens who contributed to society. Now they are indoctrination centers.
An educator from the state of Rhode Island is now speaking out about a Department of Homeland Security-funded program that supposedly promotes teaching media literacy and fighting against disinformation, but she says it's really designed to "indoctrinate children."
According to Fox News:
Ramona Bessinger, a high school teacher in Providence, R.I., authored a piece for Legal Insurrection on Monday recalling the training she and other educators participated in last fall, blowing the whistle she says on an initiative from the University of Rhode Island's Media Education Lab called Courageous RI.
"Starting in September 2023, I attended a twelve-week online training through ‘Courageous Rhode Island’ at the University of Rhode Island, funded by a DHS grant of over $700,000," Bessinger wrote. "The program is for K-12 teachers and is promoted as ‘media literacy.’ But it’s so much more than media literacy, and the impact of the training turned to teacher interaction with students and how students could be utilized as reporting sources."
The Courageous RI website reveals that it admits to accepting funds "from the Department of Homeland Security," going on to add, "works to prevent rising violence and extremism in Rhode Island with authentic and respectful conversation."
If an organization is contributing materials designed to educate kids and it's receiving funding from the federal government, you can bet your bottom dollar that there's an agenda at play. We know that individuals with radical ideologies have infiltrated major agencies within the government as we've seen from the weaponization of the FBI against conservatives and former President Donald Trump.
"Confront the many forms of disinformation, hoaxes, and propaganda that are part of everyday life. Experience the practical power of strategies for critically analyzing media messages that shape public opinion about education. Consider the power of media literacy as a civic skill and examine how people of all ages learn to spot disinformation and hoaxes," the "Courageous Conversations" curriculum goes on to say.
During her training, Bessinger, who identifies as conservative, said Courageous RI was "hyper-focused" on former President Trump, pointing to him as the "root cause of all social media and media disinformation" and inspiring violent extremism, citing Jan. 6 while ignoring left-wing extremism.
"In the breakout sessions and project sessions, some teachers complained about their students with opposing views. According to one facilitator, these students were part of the ‘outer-group’ and would need to be brought back into the 'inner-group' specifically conservative students that may have outwardly expressed support for Trump," Bessinger explains. "These students were considered ‘violent extremist MAGA Republicans’ in the making. At every juncture, Trump was attacked and used to make the point that ‘violent extremism’ and 'disinformation' were a result of 'influencing entrepreneurs' like Trump. When I asked for specific examples illustrating their point, none were forthcoming."
The folks who designed this curriculum are not even attempting to hide their obvious bias. It blatantly accuses Trump, along with "Republican elites" of "utilizing conspiracy theories." Now, I'm not a genius, but that seems slanted, don't you think? Shouldn't children be taught how to engage the world critically? Why not provide examples of how leftists push conspiracy theories? You know, like the Russia collusion hoax?
The curriculum states:
The last five years have witnessed Republican elites in government and media (most notably Donald Trump) utilizing conspiracy theories in a way unprecedented in the last half century of American politics, and with severe, deleterious consequences for democratic institutions. This alone has encouraged renewed conjecture about an asymmetry in conspiracy theory beliefs. However, elites are an imperfect reflection of the public––they have different goals, incentives, and knowledge about politics. Moreover, elite rhetoric rarely changes predispositions, such as conspiracy thinking, so much as it activates predispositions and connects them to salient political choices... In other words, while Republican elites may have recently activated conspiratorial predispositions among supporters in the mass public––where they exist––in a way that Democratic elites did not, they are unlikely to be able to cause once non-conspiratorial supporters to become highly conspiratorial.
Later on, Bessinger lobs a few accusations of her own at Courageous RI, stating they are co-opting the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System that was originally established to receive warnings about potential acts of terrorism or school shooter suspects into some kind of surveillance of political speech at the school level. Several other programs such as NewsELA, which stands for News English Language Arts, already encourage teachers and educators to start incorporating news reports and current events articles into what is taught in the classroom.
Any guesses which news sources are being used to supply teachers and educators with the material for their classes? According to Bessinger, the program "aggregates left-wing, progressive news stories."
When you are told a lie for long enough, you begin to believe it is the truth. This is why leftists want to constantly bombard kids with their worldview. Over twelve years, roughly 40 hours a week, starting in kindergarten, children are being taught how to look at the world, our culture, and our history through the lens of a progressive. Is it any wonder young people entering the adult world are so liberal? It is really hard to undo the damage from that much exposure to progressivism.
She also said the program promoted "Performative Activism and Protests," encouraging teachers to "instruct children on how to stage student walk-outs and protests." Courageous RI also hosts a "youth media contest" offering thousands of dollars in cash and prizes for students to create a presentation that addresses the question "How can media literacy, active listening, kindness and compassion, and community engagement reduce the hate and fear that leads to violence?"
"Ms, Bessinger raises very serious issues as to the propriety of a federally-funded, DHS-administered 'anti-disinformation' program that reaches down to teachers and students," William Jacobson, a Cornell law professor and founder of the Legal Insurrection blog and the Equal Protection Project, told Fox News Digital in an interview. "DHS previously had to shut down its Disinformation Governance Board after public outrage. Yet similar 'disinformation' tactics are being implemented under the guise of media literacy training. I call on the House of Representatives to investigate this DHS program."
Jacobson says Bessinger's experience suggests that "media literacy" being taught in schools, particularly programs like Courageous RI that receive DHS funding, can be a "Trojan Horse," turning educators and students into "de facto government informers."
"Whether that was the intent or simply the implication, it raises substantial questions as to why the federal government is paying for and implementing such a program," Jacobson stated. "Legal Insurrection Foundation, which is devoted to protecting our individual liberties, is concerned about the weaponization of politicized 'anti-disinformation' campaigns, particularly when funded by the government. By bringing forward Ms. Bessinger's personal experience with the URI program, we hope to spark a much-needed debate over whether anti-disinformation campaigns have become a source of disinformation."
When Fox News reached out to the DHS for comment, it sent back a statement that explained the purpose of the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Program, which provided Courageous RI with its money. According to the statement, the program is meant to "ensure safe and secure communities through prevention of violence."
You know what they say. The path to hell is paved with good intentions. However, I'm not sold that the intentions in this case are good at all. I believe, as Bessinger does, that this is all a ploy to pump out future generations of liberals.
"Violence prevention is non-partisan and ideologically agnostic. The TVTP Grant Program and grant recipients are legally and ethically required to adhere to policies and procedures that prohibit discrimination based on any protected class or belief," the statement added. "The TVTP program’s purpose is to provide communities with educational, technical, and financial support to help them establish and expand networks and resources that prevent targeted violence and terrorism of any kind, for any reason."
If you were hesitant about pulling your kids from public schools, maybe this will change your mind. They do not have your child's best interest at heart, which is something to think about for the future.
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