America
news aggregation. The measure could aff ect the use of ratings produced
by organizations including NewsGuard, Ad Fontes Media, and the Global Disinformation Index, or GDI, when contractors determine where state-funded advertis- ing appears. “South Carolina lawmakers deserve credit for recogniz-
ing the growing threat media blacklists pose to free speech and a free press,” Christine Czernejewski, spokesperson for the Independent Media Council (IMC), said in a statement. The IMC represents more than a dozen independent
and conservative media organizations that reach more than 70 million Americans. “Taxpayer-funded advertising should not be fi ltered
Third State Bans Money for Blacklisting
Ad Agencies No money for left-wing media monitors like NewsGuard.
S BY KATHRYN MCKENZIE
outh carolina has become the latest state to restrict government use of media-rating organi- zations like NewsGuard, adopting a budget provi- sion designed to prevent taxpayer-funded adver-
tising from being steered by fi rms that rate news outlets for alleged misinformation, bias, or journalistic reliability. Gov. Henry McMaster signed the 2026-2027 state
budget containing the provision, which bars state agen- cies from using state funds to contract with an adver- tising agency or other contractor that acts as, or uses, a “media reliability monitor” when placing government advertising. The provision defi nes such monitors broadly
as contractors whose principal function is rating or ranking news and information services for factual accuracy, or evaluating them for misin- formation, bias, journalistic standards, or ethics. It specifi cally encompasses fact-checking organizations while exempting companies that measure audience size and demographics or perform services such as press clipping and
34 NEWSMAX | OCTOBER 2026
through ideological gatekeepers masquerading as neutral watchdogs,” she added. “South Carolina’s action sends a clear message that government should not subsidize pri- vate censorship schemes.” Critics of NewsGuard and similar organizations con-
tend that their ratings can become de facto advertising blacklists by infl uencing agencies, advertising companies, and technology platforms over which news organizations are considered suitable for advertising. The IMC cited studies by the Media Research Center
that it says found NewsGuard consistently gave lower credibility ratings to conservative publications than liber- al publications, and in some instances, rated Chinese and Russian state-run outlets more favorably than American conservative news organizations. NewsGuard founder Steven Brill, a long-time Demo-
cratic Party donor and activist, has denied accusations that his organization engages in censorship. The South Carolina provision comes amid a broader
state and federal push to restrict government reliance on such systems. West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey earlier this year
signed the First Amendment Preservation Act, SB 531, barring state agencies from doing business with advertis- ing fi rms that rely on media “blacklists” or ideological rating systems. Supporters said the law would prevent taxpayer-fund-
ed advertising from being routed through agencies using media-reliability or misinformation monitors. Florida previously enacted similar protec-
tions preventing state agencies from contract- ing with advertising fi rms that use media-bias monitors and renewed the restrictions through its state budget. Congress has also acted. Language included
MCMASTER
in the most recent National Defense Authori- zation Act restricts the Pentagon from using advertising agencies employing misinforma- tion-monitoring systems to place military recruitment advertisements.
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