 | |
Type of site | |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Founded | 1997; 28 years ago (1997) |
| Owners | WorldNetDaily.com, Inc. |
| Founder | Joseph Farah |
| Editor | Joseph Farah |
| URL | www |
WND (formerlyWorldNetDaily) is anAmerican far-right[2] news and opinion website. It is known for promotingfake news[3] andconspiracy theories,[4] including the false claim that former President Barack Obamawas born outside the United States.[5]
The site was founded in May 1997 byJoseph Farah, who is its current editor-in-chief and CEO. The website publishes news, editorials, andopinion columns, while also aggregating content from other publications.
In 1997,Joseph Farah created the news website WorldNetDaily as a division of theWestern Journalism Center. It was subsequently spun off in 1999 as a for-profit organization[6] with the backing of $4.5 million from investors, Farah owning a majority of the stock. The site describes itself as "an independent news company dedicated to uncompromising journalism". In 1999, WorldNetDaily.com, Inc. was incorporated inDelaware[7] with offices inCave Junction,Oregon.[8]
The website gained notoriety for stoking false "birther" conspiracy theories about PresidentBarack Obama.[9]
In 2018, Farah wrote about WorldNetDaily's financial problems, saying it faced an "existential threat". Farah ceased contributing to the site after his March 12, 2019, column; the site announced a few weeks later that he had suffered a major stroke. In April 2019,The Washington Post reported thatWorldNetDaily suffered from declining revenue and diminishing readership. Farah blamed the website's financial woes on what he claimed was suppression by powerful technology companies.[9]
In 2019, WorldNetDaily created the WND News Center, a nonprofit organization where its reporting operation would move.[10] The structure is similar to that used by another conservative news website,The Daily Caller.
Seeking credentials to cover theUnited States Congress in 2002, WND was opposed by theStanding Committee of Correspondents. This panel of journalists is charged by Congress with administering press credentials. Until 1996, Internet-only publications had been deemed unacceptable.[11]WND turned to theUnited States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration for help, arguing that the panel's decision had violated the site's constitutional rights to due process, equal protection, and freedom of the press. Faced "with legal threats and negative publicity, the panel reversed itself, voting 3–2 to awardWND its credentials".[12] Shortly after, the rules were formally adjusted to clarify the participation of online publications.[13]
In 2010, whenAnn Coulter accepted an invitation to attend and speak atGOProud's Homocon 2010 convention, Farah announced the withdrawal of Coulter's name from the list of speakers at the company's 'Taking America Back' conference.[14] Coulter responded by saying that speaking engagements do not imply endorsement of the hosting organization.[citation needed]
WND provides news, editorials, letters to the editor, forums, videos and conducts a daily poll. Its CEO Joseph Farah has said thatWND provides "the broadest spectrum of opinion anywhere in the news business", but acknowledges "some misinformation by columnists".[15]WND's content is predominantlyconservative.[16][17] Besides providing articles written by its own staff, the site links to news from other publications.
WND's political lean has been described asalt-right[18][19] andfar-right.[2]WND is known for promotingfake news[3] andconspiracy theories,[4] including thewhite genocide conspiracy theory[20] and the false claim that former PresidentBarack Obamawas not born in the United States.[5] TheSouthern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) labelsWND an anti-government extremist group.[21][22]
On September 13, 2001,WND published an opinion article by Anthony C. LoBaido regarding theSeptember 11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., that had occurred two days earlier. In his column, LoBaido described what he said was the moral depravity of America in general and New York in particular, asking whether "God (has) raised upShiite Islam as a sword against America". CommentatorsVirginia Postrel ofReason magazine andJames Taranto ofThe Wall Street Journal criticized LoBaido and Joseph Farah for the piece and called for columnistsHugh Hewitt andBill O'Reilly to sever their ties withWND. Founder Farah responded with his own column, saying that LoBaido's opinion piece did not reflect the viewpoint ofWND, and that it, like most other commentary pieces, had not been reviewed before publication.
In 2005, WorldNetDaily published a piece denouncing an article titledPederasty: an integration of empirical, historical, sociological, Cross-Cultural, Cross-species, and evolutionary Perspectives, which was authored by Bruce Rind and set to be published in a special issue of thenHaworth Press'sJournal of Homosexuality.[23][24] The managing director of WorldNetDaily, David Kupelian, accused Rind of advocating for pederasty and pointed to his previous research to say that advocacy for sex between adults and minors would be the next step for the "sexual liberation" movement. Ultimately, the pressure arising from the website culminated with the cancellation of the article's publication by Haworth Press in September of the same year.[25][26][27]
WND has published hundreds of articles promoting"birther" conspiracy theories about President Barack Obama's U.S. citizenship, for which it has gained notoriety.[30] It has falsely claimed that Obama is not a natural-born U.S. citizen and thus is not eligible to serve as president.[31][32][33] After the2008 presidential campaign, WND began anonline petition to have Obama's Hawaiian birth certificate released to the public and Farah offered a $15,000 award for its release. The website also unsuccessfully urgedSupreme Court justices to hear several lawsuits aiming to release Obama's birth certificate. The White House released copies of the president's original long-form birth certificate on April 27, 2011. After the long-form birth certificate was released, Farah refused to pay the promised award and WND continued to promote its conspiracy theory, publishing an article questioning the certificate's authenticity.[34][35]
In January 2013, a WorldNetDaily article criticized aSuper Bowl XLVII advertisement in whichNeil Patrick Harris woreeye black with "Feb 3 2013" written on it. The website accused Harris of "mocking Christianity". QuarterbackTim Tebow was known for inscribingBible verses with eye black to wear duringNFL games. A similar advertisement byBeyoncé for the Super Bowl had not been criticized.[36] In a laterTwitter post by Harris about the Super Bowl, he used thehashtag "#noagenda".[37]
On August 7, 2017, WorldNetDaily published "The 8 Dirtiest Scandals ofRobert Mueller No One Is Talking About", which was pushed out byElena Khusyaynova's operation, targeting theMueller investigation.[38]
In April 2020, the SPLC reported that WND "has boosted a number of articles featuringantisemiticdog whistles, fake cures and otherdisinformation" aboutCOVID-19, with headlines such as "Coronavirus is being weaponized bySoros, others behind anti-Trump ads", "Clyburn: Democrats must use Chinese virus to restructure America 'to fit our vision'" and "Newt Gingrich's question for Biden exposes Obama's undeniable role in N95 mask shortage".[22] Another headline proclaimed that a three-drug cocktail promoted byVladimir Zelenko[39] had a "100% success" rate in treating 350 COVID-19 patients.[22]
A 2020 study by researchers fromNortheastern,Harvard,Northwestern andRutgers universities found thatWND was among the top 5 most sharedfake news domains in tweets related to COVID-19, the others beingThe Gateway Pundit,InfoWars,Judicial Watch andNatural News.[40]
WND publishes books under the imprintWND Books. The imprint was launched in 2002.WND's imprint publishing partner was Christian publishing houseThomas Nelson Publishers (2002–2004).[41] Cumberland House Publishing (2004–2007), and conservative publisher World Ahead Publishing (2007). In 2008,WND acquired World Ahead Media.
WND Books has published books written by right-wing politicians and pundits such asKatherine Harris, formerSecretary of State of Florida in office in 2000 during the presidential election under GovernorJeb Bush; commentatorMichael Savage; conspiracy theoristJerome Corsi; ex-congressmanTom Tancredo; and formerOhio Secretary of StateKen Blackwell. In October 2009, WND Books publishedMuslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America by Paul David Gaubatz andPaul Sperry.[42] In April 2011, Paul Harris, writing forThe Guardian, describedWND Books as "a niche producer of rightwing conspiracy theories, religious books and 'family values' tracts".[43]
WND also publishes a printed magazine,Whistleblower. It operates other companies such as theG2 Bulletin, a subscription-only website described as an "intelligence resource" for "insights into geo-political and geo-strategic developments".
The WND website also sellssurvivalist gear.[30]
The SPLC has accused WND of "peddlingwhite nationalism", due to its publication of a series of articles on "black mob violence" by writer Colin Flaherty. It accused the website of being a source of "anti-government conspiracy theories, gay-bashing, anti-Muslim propaganda, andEnd Times prophecy".[44]
On September 20, 2000, WND published an article saying that Clark Jones, aSavannah, Tennessee car dealer, a fund-raiser for then-Vice PresidentAl Gore in his presidential campaign, had interfered with a criminal investigation, had been a "subject" of a criminal investigation, and was listed on law enforcement computers as a "dope dealer". It implied that he had ties to others involved in alleged criminal activity. The authors later put forward the theory that the publication of this article, as well as otherWND articles that were critical of Gore, contributed significantly to Gore losing his home state of Tennessee that November.
In 2001, Clark Jones filed alawsuit against WND; the reporters, Charles C. Thompson II and Tony Hays; theCenter for Public Integrity, which had underwritten Thompson and Hays' reporting on the article and related ones; and various Tennessee publications and broadcasters whom he accused of repeating the claim, arguing these entities had committed libel anddefamation.[45][46] The lawsuit was scheduled to go to trial in March 2008; but, on February 13, 2008, WND announced that a confidential out-of-court settlement had been reached with Jones. A settlement statement jointly drafted by all parties in the lawsuit stated that aFreedom of Information Act request showed that the allegations had been false, and that WND had misquoted sources.
Notable staff members include Jerusalem Bureau ChiefAaron Klein, former White House correspondentLester Kinsolving, Ohio State Senate Senior Press Secretary Garth Kant,[47] and staff writerJerome Corsi. Its commentary pages feature editorials by the site's founderJoseph Farah, as well as by commentators including 2016 Republican presidential candidateBen Carson,Pat Buchanan,Ann Coulter,David Limbaugh,Chuck Norris,Walter E. Williams, Ilana Mercer,Bill Press, andNat Hentoff.
In February 2020,Right Wing Watch reported that Michael J. Thompson, who worked in WND's marketing department, had also worked atwhite nationalist publications such asVDARE andAmerican Renaissance under the pseudonym of "Paul Kersey". It found that his position atWND allowed him to move in professional circles that included white nationalists, writers atBreitbart News andThe Daily Caller, and prominent Trump supporters such asSteve Bannon andJack Posobiec.[48][49]
news was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).Joseph Francis Farah (b. 1955) is editor in chief and CEO ofWorldNetDaily (WND, About), a far-right "news" Web site he founded in 1997
Farah is the editor-in-chief of the far-right news website World Net Daily, which is cited several times in Breivik's manifesto.
It started in January 2016 with an opinion piece Ulukaya wrote forCNN Money, about his efforts to motivate businesses to help end the refugee crisis. Though Ulukaya never mentioned Muslims, the piece attracted the far-right websiteWorld Net Daily that published a story titled, "American Yogurt Tycoon Vows to Choke U.S. With Muslims."
Despite Trump's claim that there was no alt-left, within days, editor of the far-right siteWorld Net Daily Joseph Farah published a column entitled 'Let's take a look at the Alt-Left'
Far-right Web sites like World Net Daily and Newsmax.com floated all kinds of specious stories about Obama that quickly careened around the blogosphere and onto talk radio.
One of the most popular far-right websites, WorldNetDaily
Les Kinsolving, a reporter for the far-right World Net Daily, was a familiar White House gadfly from the days of the Nixon administration on.
... Powe is a former blogger for WorldNetDaily, the far-right website that helped create the racist 'birther' conspiracy theory to undermine President Barack Obama.
WND is a far-right website that entered the mainstream during President Obama's presidency. The website was a hub for the birther conspiracy.
As of press time, the homepage of their website lists links to right-wing fake news sites like WorldNetDaily...
WorldNetDaily specializes in conspiracy theories and has become a leading platform for Tea Party activists and end times prophets
Les Kinsolving, a reporter for the far-right World Net Daily, was a familiar White House gadfly from the days of the Nixon administration on.
Far-right Web sites like World Net Daily and Newsmax.com floated all kinds of specious stories about Obama that quickly careened around the blogosphere and onto talk radio.
While such oddities might cast Horn as marginal, he has been featured heavily on popular right-wing conspiracist website WorldNetDaily (wnd.com)
according to WorldNetDaily.com, a conservative Web site.
He frequently claimed that Obama had spent $2 million to cover this up — a number he plucked out of World Net Daily, which promotes conservative-leaning conspiracy theories.
WND is a leader in preserving murder cover-up theories, publishing 'exclusive reports' linking the Clintons to a plot to kill their longtime friend.
Writing in the right-wing site WorldNetDaily, Pat Buchanan...
One of WND's most prominent conspiracy theories was the discredited "birther" claim about President Barack Obama's birth certificate. WND worked very closely with Donald Trump, before he was elected president, to spread the false allegations that President Obama had not been born in the United States
Far-right Web sites like World Net Daily and Newsmax.com floated all kinds of specious stories about Obama that quickly careened around the blogosphere and onto talk radio.
... Powe is a former blogger for WorldNetDaily, the far-right website that helped create the racist "birther" conspiracy theory to undermine President Barack Obama.
WND is a far-right website that entered the mainstream during President Obama's presidency. The website was a hub for the birther conspiracy.
Beginning today, WorldNetDaily.com, voted the most popular website on the Internet the last 23 weeks, is officially a for-profit corporation...
according to WorldNetDaily.com, a conservative Web site.
It started with alt-right websites like World Net Daily
Examples of alt-right websites are Breitbart, Drudge Report, InfoWars, Daily Caller, Daily Wire, and WorldNetDaily.
WorldNetDaily is an online publication founded and run by Joseph Farah that claims to pursue truth, justice and liberty. But in fact, its pages are devoted to manipulative fear-mongering and outright fabrications designed to further the paranoid, gay-hating, conspiratorial and apocalyptic visions of Farah and his hand-picked contributors [...]
:3 was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).:8 was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).The report comes from WorldNetDaily, a right-wing website that periodically promotes conspiracy theories about Obama's birth certificate.
Joseph Farah, CEO of the conservative website WorldNetDaily and publisher of a new book that investigates whether Obama is eligible to be president, says the issue isn't over.
At one point, Farah had pledged $15,000 for the "long form" birth certificate that proved Obama's birth in Hawaii (WND 2010). After the White House posted the certificate in April 2011, Farah called it "fraudulent" and reneged on the pledge