They use mind control and they know it, BUT... they think that it's good for them to do mind control because they have "da troof" and they have to use information control, emotional manipulation, and all kinds of other control tactics in order to "protect" the sheeple from the "mind control" and "independent thinking" of Santa's World.
And they've had articles on cults, but downplayed the way JWs are a cult and focused on things like: "JWs don't have one human leader they unquestioningly follow", "we don't use starvation or physical abuse to control members", "we don't isolate our members on a remote compound." Yet, the facts show that WT uses cult mind control in their own way that will differ from other cults.