June 2025 Report
Inside This Edition:
- Legacy Media Gets Positive NewsGuard Scores Despite Biden Mental Decline Cover-Up
- Sen. Schmitt Slams Biden’s Head of “Ministry of Truth” at Judiciary Hearing
- FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act Anti-Media Censorship Provision
- State Legislative Efforts to Push Back Against Media Censorship
- NewsGuard & Censorship Media Roundup
OVERVIEW
School’s out for summer, and that means a brief respite from the indoctrination of leftist ideology in our country’s classrooms.
As many of The Independent Media Council’s members know, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) inked a deal with NewsGuard three years ago. Under the terms of the agreement, the AFT’s 1.7 million members, tens of millions of kids they teach, and their families can now receive NewsGuard’s browser, pushing them towards “credible” news sources (ie, sources that push a left of center agenda).
In fact, some students now use NewsGuard as a verb – when they see something online, they’re being told to “NewsGuard” it.
IMC members have put pressure on Congress and governors to investigate the NewsGuard-AFT partnership. US Sen Ted Cruz also called out Microsoft for funding NewsGuard in schools, saying they were censoring kids from conservative viewpoints.
The IMC has been working to educate leaders, influencers, and aligned groups about this issue. Our hope is that there will be greater awareness and motivation to ensure that kids are receiving viewpoint neutrality when they head into the new school year.
Read on for more NewsGuard and media censorship updates and please keep us posted on your organization’s efforts to stop media censorship and protect the First Amendment.
GOVERNMENT
FEDERAL
Media Research Center: NewsGuard STILL Gives High Marks to Media that Covered Up Biden Mental Decline Scandal
The legacy media’s and Biden administration’s cover-up of the former President’s cognitive decline is one of the biggest scandals of this century.
Yet as Media Research Center’s NewsBusters revealed last month, media outlets like CNN, Politico, and Bloomberg News continue to receive high NewsGuard credibility scores, despite downplaying or dismissing concerns about Biden’s cognitive health throughout his presidency. One of the worst contributors to the cover-up was CNN’s anchor Jake Tapper, who admonished conservatives that questioned Biden’s decline, yet is now on a book tour, pushing the notion that the media simply was lied to – not that legacy media didn’t do their job. As NewsBusters points out, CNN “holds a comfortable 80/100 by NewsGuard” even though Tapper and other CNN reporters called questions about Biden’s decline conspiracies.
Bloomberg News has a perfect 100/100 score from NewsGuard, though they were one of the first to deny that Biden had any cognitive issues. Even the liberal Slate, scores 87.5/100 from NewsGuard for “credibility” despite one of its journalists decrying questions about Biden’s cognitive capabilities as “conspiracies and collusions.”
Add the Biden cover up to the list of things that legacy media has gotten wrong (Hunter Biden laptop, Covid’s origins, the Russia collusion story) with no damage to their NewsGuard scores.
See the MRC story here: https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/business/joseph-vazquez/2025/05/20/newsguard-still-gives-high-marks-media-covered-biden
Sen. Schmitt Slams Biden’s Head of “Ministry of Truth” at Judiciary Hearing
Senate conservatives continue to highlight the egregiousness of the Censorship Industrial Complex. At a Judiciary Committee Hearing last month, US Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) took former Deputy Homeland Security Advisor and Co-Chair of former-President Biden’s Disinformation Governance Board Jennifer Daskal to task over the role she played in infringing upon Americans’ right to free speech.
“I find it kind of rich that you’re here expressing First Amendment concerns about anything. A federal district court judge said this was the biggest affront to the First Amendment in the history of the United States of America, this censorship enterprise that the Biden Administration engaged in that you were a big part of,” said Schmitt.
FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act
The IMC is working to strengthen a provision (Section 1555) that was passed in the FY 2024 NDAA and extended in FY 2025 NDAA to prevent advertising agencies that contract with the US Department of Defense from funding censorship.
While the passage of Section 1555 was a win for independent and conservative media, it needs stronger enforcement.
When the NDAA is considered later this year, a provision is expected to be introduced that would require full enforcement of Section 1555 and eliminate the sunset clause.
Catch up quick: The Speaker, underscoring the importance of Section 1555, highlighted it in his NDAA statement last year, specifically calling out NewsGuard.
STATE
Legislative Efforts to Stop Media Censorship
The IMC is supporting legislation to prevent state and local governments from utilizing media monitoring services such as NewsGuard and from entering into an agreement with a company that uses media monitoring services.
Advances are being made in Florida; Similar legislation is being considered in various states.
MEDIA
ADF Submits Comment to FTC outlining extensive examples of Big Tech censorship
ADF Center for Free Speech letter shows how major corporations have banned, censored conservative, religious speech, 5/21/25
Bellingcat CEO Admits ‘Fact Checkers’ Failed, Plans Global Network of Computer Labs
Foundation for Freedom Online, 5/12/25
Bellingcat CEO Admits ‘Fact Checkers’ Failed, Plans Global Network of Computer Labs
Meta ‘nudged’ prominent Big Tech critic in plea for help ahead of landmark FTC antitrust trial
New York Post by Thomas Barrabi, 5/12/25
Trump Administration Asks for Help in Uncovering Big Tech Censorship
Daily Signal by Jarret Stepman, 5/7/25
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/05/07/how-you-can-help-stop-big-tech-censorship/
US Attorney for DC Issues Stark Warning to Wikipedia After MRC Study
MRC by Catherine Salgado, 5/5/25
Christine Czernejewski
Membership Director
The Independent Media Council
M: 202-368-0281
