For years, conservatives have fought the covert censorship of their viewpoints in the news and on social media.
Media Matters, a left-wing nonprofit, is one of the many groups known for promoting such censorship. Its biased monitoring and boycotting practices prompted right-wing figures such as Elon Musk and Andrew Ferguson, the new chairman of the FTC, to pursue legal action against the organization.
Last Friday, the conflict reached a pivotal moment when a district court judge struck down the FTC’s probe into Media Matters—a setback in the broader effort to challenge unlawful censorship.
The FTC first launched this probe as part of the Trump administration’s larger effort to address censorship and corporate collusion. The House Judiciary Committee, many administrative agencies, and the White House have all played roles in confronting what many have called the “censorship-industrial complex,” working to defend Americans’ free speech rights.
By taking on organizations like NewsGuard, GARM, and Media Matters, the administration has cracked down on biased fact-checking organizations that seek to silence mainstream conservative viewpoints through threats and coercion.
These nonprofits typically claim to conduct objective assessments of news outlets or social media posts, rating them for their credibility and accuracy. In practice, their left-leaning bias has stifled the voices of many Americans who spoke out about the COVID-19 lab leak theory, the Hunter Biden laptop story, and transgenderism. Additionally, their ratings and reports have also fueled advertiser boycotts, pressuring companies to withdraw support from conservative outlets or remove posts with conservative perspectives.
The fight against these biased fact-checkers came to a head in recent months when the newly appointed FTC chairman launched a formal investigation into the actions of Media Matters on the grounds that they infringed on the free speech rights of Americans.
On Friday, however, a Biden-appointed D.C. district court judge struck down the FTC’s inquiry, along with other lawsuits brought by X. The ruling argues that Media Matters’ actions are protected under the First Amendment, characterizing the FTC’s probe as politically motivated. The judge dismissed claims of advertiser collusion before they could be fully argued in court.
This ruling represents a significant setback for the FTC and for the broader conservative movement to combat unlawful censorship. Still, many victories have already been achieved in the few months since the new administration took office.
NRB has long stood against the unlawful censorship of Christian voices. From challenging GARM and NewsGuard to addressing the weaponization of the federal government, NRB works through through public campaigns, congressional advocacy, and legal action to protect the free speech rights of Christian communicators.