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LifeSiteNews

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LifeSiteNews
Logo text reads "LifeSite". "Life" is in white block caps over a turquoise circle, "site" is in turquoise block caps beside the circle.
Logo
Screenshot
Screenshot of the homepage of LifeSiteNews, showing headlines, a featured video, and navigation content.
Type of site
Advocacy and news publication
Available inEnglish
Founded1997; 25 years ago (1997)
Country of originCanada
Founder(s)Campaign Life Coalition
EditorJohn-Henry Westen
PresidentSteve Jalsevac
URLwww.lifesitenews.com Edit this at Wikidata
Current statusActive

LifeSiteNews (or simply LifeSite) is a Canadian Catholic far-right anti-abortion advocacy website and news publication. LifeSiteNews has published misleading information and conspiracy theories, and in 2021, was banned from some social media platforms for spreading COVID-19 misinformation.

History

LifeSiteNews was founded in 1997 by the Canadian political lobbyist organization Campaign Life Coalition with the intent to promote anti-abortion views.[1] At a 2013 March for Life Youth Conference in Ottawa, founder and editor-in-chief John-Henry Westen alleged there was a media conspiracy against the anti-abortion movement, and said that the purpose of LifeSiteNews was to circumvent the mainstream media.[1]

A Catholic priest and former member of the Canadian Parliament, Raymond Gravel, filed a defamation lawsuit in Quebec against the website in 2011. He claimed that the site's description of his self-described pro-choice views as "pro-abortion" was libelous, and sought CA$500,000 in damages.[2] LifeSiteNews had published 41 articles about Gravel as of February 2013.[3] In 2013, the lawsuit was allowed to advance to trial by a Quebec court.[3][4] Gravel died of lung cancer on August 11, 2014.[5]

LifeSiteNews claimed in 2018 to have a readership of 20 million. Its editor-in-chief is John-Henry Westen, and the president is Steve Jalsevac. The Campaign Life Coalition no longer runs LifeSiteNews, though the two groups share some board members.[6]

Content and views

LifeSiteNews was founded for the purpose of opposing legal abortion, and that remains a primary focus.[7] It also regularly publishes articles expressing opposition to contraception, homosexuality,[8] and transgender rights,[9] and its website names euthanasia and cloning among other issues it opposes.[10] A Catholic publication, many of its articles are faith-related.[9][11] It has published many articles critical of Pope Francis,[12][13][14] and regularly publishes writing by critics of Francis including Italian archbishop, former Vatican diplomat, and conspiracy theorist Carlo Maria Viganò[13][15] and Cardinal Raymond Burke.[16]

LifeSiteNews has been described as far-right,[6][13][17] conservative,[18][19] social conservative,[6] and ultraconservative.[20][11]

Fact-checking website Snopes described LifeSiteNews in 2016 as "a known purveyor of misleading information".[21] Paul Moses wrote for Commonweal in 2021 that LifeSiteNews coverage "feigns journalistic accuracy, but misleads through omission".[13] The Canadian Anti-Hate Network described the website in a 2021 report as a "Christian version of Breitbart".[6] Political Research Associates analyst Heron Greenesmith categorized LifeSiteNews to NBC News in September 2019 as a member of the "Christian-right anti-transgender disinformation ecosystem" and stated, "LifeSite platforms the small number of anti-trans researchers, academics, and right-wing professional associations, giving their work a veneer of scientific validity".[9] Moses wrote in Commonweal that the site spread confusion about COVID-19, and that their coverage "is so slanted that anyone relying on it would be terribly misled on what the science shows."[13]

LifeSiteNews regularly publishes conspiracy theories.[7][22][23] The site has published misleading claims about Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and articles supportive of the "Stop the Steal" campaign with the same goal.[24][6] Some articles on the website use the tag "New World Order",[6] the name of a conspiracy theory which hypothesizes a secretly emerging totalitarian world government.[23]

Social media bans

LifeSiteNews' Twitter accounts have been temporarily suspended at least four times since 2018; once in error, twice for violating rules against "targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals", and once for violating rules against spreading COVID-19 misinformation.[8][25][26]

LifeSiteNews' YouTube channel was banned in February 2021 for persistently promoting COVID-19 misinformation. One video claimed that COVID-19 was "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on an unsuspecting public". Another promoted anti-vaccine sentiment, cast doubt on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, and stated that COVID-19 "isn't really killing people right and left that weren't probably gonna die within the year anyway". These claims contradicted the scientific consensus and reports from authorities like the World Health Organization, and violated YouTube policies on promotion of health misinformation.[27]

LifeSiteNews was permanently banned from Facebook in May 2021 for violations of policies prohibiting COVID-19 misinformation.[11][28] According to LifeSiteNews, Facebook said the ban was related to their policy of removing anti-vaccination accounts, and a Facebook spokesperson allegedly accused LifeSiteNews of disseminating "false information about COVID-19 that could contribute to physical harm".[11] A joint statement signed by Media Matters for America, GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, and NARAL Pro-Choice America said they had collected and reported to Facebook over 100 posts by LifeSiteNews that allegedly spread COVID-19 and vaccine-related misinformation. They added that they believed Facebook should have banned the group "years ago" for using the platform to "push its noxious anti-LGBTQ and anti-choice extremism".[29][30][31]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Saurette, Paul; Gordon, Kelly (2016). The Changing Voice of the Anti-Abortion Movement. University of Toronto Press. p. 172. ISBN 9781442615694.
  2. ^ "Two Solitudes: Lawsuit pits rebel Quebec priest against hardline pro-life news service". National Post. March 5, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Bunderson, Carl (February 21, 2013). "Controversial Priest's Lawsuit Against LifeSiteNews Advances". National Catholic Register. Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  4. ^ Langan, Fred (August 11, 2014). "Activist priest Raymond Gravel preached gospel of tolerance". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  5. ^ "Father Raymond Gravel, outspoken social activist, dies". CBC News. August 11, 2014. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "The biggest Canadian far-right news site you probably haven't heard of". Canadaland. February 22, 2021. Archived from the original on February 22, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Posner, Sarah (March 25, 2021). "QAnon and the Assault on Planned Parenthood". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 27, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Ring, Trudy (October 19, 2018). "Right-Wing Site Blocked From Twitter for Laughably Antigay Article". The Advocate. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Fitzsimons, Tim (September 27, 2019). "A viral fake news story linked trans health care to 'thousands' of deaths". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  10. ^ Boorstein, Michelle (August 30, 2018). "Former Vatican ambassador's explosive letter reveals influence of conservative Catholic media network". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d Jenkins, Jack (May 6, 2021). "LifeSiteNews removed from Facebook for violating COVID-19 misinformation policies". Religion News Service. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  12. ^ Pullella, Philip (May 1, 2019). "Conservatives want Catholic bishops to denounce pope as heretic". Reuters. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e Moses, Paul (March 13, 2021). "Sins of Omission". Commonweal. Archived from the original on March 14, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  14. ^ "Pope Francis in Ireland: Call for Resignation Further Clouds Visit". The New York Times. August 26, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  15. ^ Boorstein, Michelle (June 10, 2020). "Trump praises Italian archbishop who urges him to fight 'deep state' protests". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  16. ^ Pullella, Philip (August 30, 2018). "Conservative media move to front line of battle to undermine Pope Francis". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  17. ^ Joyce, Kathryn (October 30, 2020). "How QAnon and Trumpism Have Revealed a Deep Church Schism Among Catholics". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  18. ^ Horowitz, Jason (September 1, 2018). "Pope Francis' Accuser Turns Up the Pressure With More Accusations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  19. ^ Budryk, Zack (May 1, 2019). "Conservative Catholics accuse Pope Francis of heresy". The Hill. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  20. ^ Winfield, Nicole (September 9, 2018). "Sanctions, sex abuse and silence: A primer on the pope saga". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  21. ^ Lacapria, Kim (June 3, 2016). "Fact Check: ACLU Director Resigns Over Transgender Bathroom Policy". Snopes. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  22. ^ Durkin, Tish (October 21, 202). "The Catholics Who Hate Joe Biden—And Pope Francis". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  23. ^ a b Camp, Gregory S. (1997). Selling Fear: Conspiracy Theories and End-Times Paranoia. Baker Publishing Group. ISBN 9780801057212.
  24. ^ Swenson, Ali (February 12, 2021). "Skewed data fuel questionable claim on Trump election lawsuits". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  25. ^ Richardson, Valerie (March 29, 2020). "Twitter pressed to restore pro-life account locked for calling transgender activist 'him'". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  26. ^ "Twitter suspends LifeSite for covering Israeli COVID vaccine data". LifeSiteNews. March 2, 2021. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  27. ^ Sherman, Carter (February 11, 2021). "YouTube Just Banned a Popular Anti-Abortion Channel for COVID Conspiracies". Vice News. Archived from the original on February 20, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  28. ^ Bibi, Elizabeth (May 7, 2021). "Media Matters, GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, and NARAL react to Facebook's permanent ban of LifeSiteNews". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  29. ^ "Media Matters, GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, and NARAL react to Facebook's permanent ban of LifeSiteNews". Media Matters for America. May 7, 2021. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  30. ^ "NARAL head brags about helping remove pro-life LifeSiteNews from Facebook". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  31. ^ Holmes, Juwan J. (May 7, 2021). "Christian extremist outlet LifeSiteNews finally booted from Facebook". LGBTQ Nation. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.

External links

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