June 2026 Newsletter

This month’s newsletter highlights continued momentum in the fight against viewpoint discrimination and censorship-by-proxy in advertising and media.

Florida has strengthened its position as a national leader by including anti-media-blacklist protections in its 2026–27 budget for the second consecutive year. On the legal front, NewsGuard is pressing a fast-track appeal against the FTC as its dispute over alleged unconstitutional retaliation moves through the courts. We also spotlight new research from IMC member Media Research Center, whose latest analysis finds that major news aggregators continue to heavily favor left-leaning outlets while sidelining conservative publications with combined audiences in the hundreds of millions.

These developments underscore the urgency of IMC’s mission and the growing national conversation around fairness, transparency, and free expression in the digital media landscape. Read on for more and visit IMCAmerica.com for further resources and membership information.

Florida lawmakers have once again reaffirmed the state’s commitment to free speech and viewpoint diversity by including anti-media-blacklist protections in the 2026-27 state budget. The provision prohibits state agencies from contracting with advertising and marketing firms that rely on politically biased media-monitoring and “brand safety” systems such as NewsGuard, Ad Fontes, and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI). The budget now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it into law.

The measure marks the second consecutive year Florida has included the provision in its budget, reinforcing the state’s position as a national leader in the fight against censorship disguised as advertising oversight. Florida was among the first states to directly challenge media blacklist operations.

“Florida lawmakers deserve credit for continuing to stand up against politically driven media blacklist systems that distort advertising markets and suppress viewpoints,” said IMC spokesperson Christine Czernejewski. “Taxpayer-funded advertising should maximize public reach, not be filtered through ideological gatekeepers masquerading as neutral watchdogs.”

The move comes amid growing national momentum against censorship-by-proxy. In recent months, West Virginia enacted similar protections through its First Amendment Preservation Act, Congress included anti-censorship language in the National Defense Authorization Act, and federal regulators have scrutinized coordinated “brand safety” practices among major advertising firms.

As concerns about viewpoint discrimination in advertising continue to grow, IMC expects additional states to follow Florida’s lead.

NewsGuard is asking a federal appeals court to fast-track its challenge against the Federal Trade Commission after a lower court declined to issue a preliminary injunction in the company’s ongoing dispute with the agency, according to Law 360. The appeal centers on NewsGuard’s claim that the FTC has engaged in unconstitutional retaliation against the company through investigations and merger-related restrictions affecting its business.

The dispute stems from an FTC investigation launched in 2025 and consent agreements tied to major advertising industry mergers. NewsGuard argues the agency has sought to punish the company because of its media-rating services, while the FTC maintains its actions are related to broader concerns about advertising market practices and potential coordination among media-monitoring organizations.

Although the FTC has since withdrawn its original document demand, NewsGuard argues that subsequent FTC actions—including restrictions affecting the use of third-party media-rating services by major advertising firms—continue to harm its business and warrant judicial review. A district court recently ruled that NewsGuard had not yet demonstrated irreparable harm sufficient to justify a preliminary injunction.

Media Research Center (MRC) – an IMC member – released a new analysis that raises fresh concerns about the growing influence of digital news gatekeepers. The report found that Apple News, Google News, Microsoft’s MSN, and Yahoo News overwhelmingly promoted left-leaning media outlets while largely excluding right-leaning publications from their most prominent news feeds. According to the study, 92% of left-leaning outlets appearing on Press Gazette’s list of the nation’s 50 most-visited news sites received promotion from the major news aggregators, compared to just 16.7% of right-leaning outlets.

The disparity is particularly notable because several of the excluded conservative outlets—including the New York Post, Daily Mail, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, and Newsmax—collectively attracted more than 414 million visits during the month analyzed. Despite their sizable audiences, the report found that these outlets received little to no comparable visibility from the dominant news aggregation platforms, which serve as a primary gateway to information for millions of Americans.

The findings build on a growing body of research examining ideological imbalances in curated news feeds. Earlier MRC research found that the “Big Four” news apps promoted left-leaning outlets approximately 70% of the time while featuring right-leaning outlets just 5% of the time. Apple News was identified as the most imbalanced platform, promoting fewer than 0.5% of stories from right-leaning outlets during a five-month period, while Yahoo News promoted left-leaning sources nearly 87% of the time.

MRC by Luis Cornelio, 6/4/26

Just the News by Misti Severi, 6/2/26

https://x.com/MikeBenzCyber/status/2058513557478572056

Mike Benz, 5/24/26

https://x.com/MikeBenzCyber/status/2059388173583610152