For Immediate Release
April 2, 2026
Contact: Christine@imcamerica.com
New West Virginia Law Strikes Censorship Groups Targeting Conservatives
Governor Morrisey Signs First Amendment Preservation Act Into Law
CHARLESTON, WV — The Independent Media Council (IMC) today commended Governor Patrick Morrisey for signing the First Amendment Preservation Act (SB 531) into law, ensuring that taxpayer-funded advertising in West Virginia cannot be filtered through politically biased media monitors.
The legislation, sponsored by State Senator Mike Azinger and passed by the West Virginia Legislature with overwhelming support on March 13, prohibits state agencies from contracting with advertising firms or marketing companies that use so-called “media reliability” or “misinformation” monitors.
The bill specifically targets agencies using groups like leftwing organizations like NewsGuard and GDI.
“Governor Morrisey deserves tremendous credit for standing up for free speech and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are never used to enforce ideological media blacklists,” said Christine Czernejewski, spokesperson for the Independent Media Council.
“We also want to thank Sen. Azinger and Delegate Holstein for their commitment to getting this bill passed. By signing SB 531 into law, West Virginia is making clear that diverse voices should be heard and that public funds are used to ensure that all citizens are informed, not a narrow political group.”
Media monitoring organizations such as NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index employ rating systems that function as biased ideological filters in the advertising marketplace.
In three separate studies, the Media Research Center found that NewsGuard consistently rated conservative media outlets significantly lower than left-leaning outlets and in some cases assigned higher ratings to Chinese and Russian state-run media than to American conservative outlets.
NewsGuard was founded in 2018 by longtime Democratic party activist and donor Steven Brill.
When state agencies use advertising intermediaries that employ ideological rating systems, public information campaigns are prevented from reaching large segments of the public.
In West Virginia, this restricts outreach to outdoor enthusiasts, rural communities, and other groups essential to West Virginia’s tourism economy and public outreach campaigns.
“West Virginia has now established a model for other states,” Czernejewski added.
West Virginia’s action comes amid a growing national effort to address media blacklists and viewpoint discrimination in advertising.
- Florida enacted similar restrictions, preventing state agencies from contracting with advertising firms that use “media reliability or bias monitors.”
- Congress made into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) a provision that prohibits the Pentagon from using advertising agencies that use misinformation monitors when placing military recruitment advertising.
- The Federal Trade Commission has emphasized safeguards against viewpoint discrimination in advertising markets.
- President Trump issued an executive order prohibiting federal coordination to suppress lawful speech.
The IMC expects other states will join West Virginia and states like Florida that already have laws to protect free speech.
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The Independent Media Council (IMC) is a non-profit group of conservative and independent media outlets and aligned organizations that stand for free speech and a free press. Members regularly reach over 75 million Americans. The IMC believes the antidote to misinformation and disinformation is more speech, not censorship and works to protect the speech of all media outlets and content creators.
