A growing body of evidence reveals how federal agencies under Democrat/Deep State direction have funneled taxpayer money to private companies that are allegedly using their influence to silence conservative voices. At the center of this controversy is Publicis Groupe, one of the largest advertising firms in the world. Although it operates out of France, Publicis has received over $500 million in U.S. government contracts. At the same time, it has been deeply involved in building and supporting networks that blacklist conservative media outlets and cut off their access to advertising revenue. This system, critics argue, acts as a powerful form of censorship.
According to the Foundation for Freedom Online (FFO), Publicis is “one of the world’s ‘big five’ ad agencies” and works with major global brands such as Disney, Pfizer, and Samsung. But it also plays a much more controversial role: acting as a gatekeeper that determines which news outlets are safe for advertisers to support, and which should be financially choked off.
Publicis and NewsGuard: Building a Censorship Machine
Publicis Groupe’s connection to censorship efforts begins with its early support for NewsGuard, a private company that rates the reliability of news websites. In 2018, Publicis led the seed funding round that launched NewsGuard. As the Foundation for Freedom Online reported, this partnership “appears to have served as a boon for the ad agency’s ability to win contracts from the Biden administration.”
NewsGuard claims to be a neutral arbiter of truth, but its critics point to a consistent bias against conservative media. A series of studies by the Media Research Center found that “NewsGuard significantly ranks conservative media much lower than leftwing outlets.” Conservative websites like Newsmax, The Federalist, Breitbart, and One America News have all been downgraded by NewsGuard. These lower scores often result in those outlets being excluded from advertising programs, cutting them off from a vital source of revenue.
NewsGuard uses what it calls “nutrition labels” to rate websites, and also compiles “exclusion lists” for advertisers. These exclusion lists are sold back to the ad industry. As FFO explains, “Publicis then sells these exclusion lists back to the advertising industry that created it, financially suffocating the blacklisted websites.”
Publicis was not only a financial backer of NewsGuard but also had a direct seat at the table. Steve King, a senior Publicis executive, served on NewsGuard’s board of directors until at least 2023. Another Publicis board member, Thomas H. Glocer, also invested in NewsGuard and previously served as CEO of Reuters. Glocer is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has deep ties to elite institutions.
GARM and the Industry-Wide Push for Censorship
Publicis is not alone in this campaign. It is a founding partner of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), a project launched in 2019 by the World Federation of Advertisers. GARM represents 90 percent of global ad spending and has been pressuring social media platforms to restrict conservative speech. According to the House Judiciary Committee, “GARM had used its influence over internet revenue streams to pressure platforms hosting controversial speech,” including threats against Twitter, Spotify, and conservative media.
When Elon Musk loosened content restrictions on Twitter (now called X), GARM encouraged advertisers to boycott the platform. The group then “bragged about taking on the billionaire and dropping X’s earnings ‘80% below revenue forecasts,’” the report stated.
GARM also warned companies about supporting Spotify, especially after it refused to cancel Joe Rogan’s podcast for featuring guests critical of government COVID policies. One internal memo even told Coca-Cola that Rogan was “a major area of concern.” GARM also targeted conservative outlets like Breitbart News and The Daily Wire, using blacklist tools developed in partnership with NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI).
In one email uncovered by Congress, GARM head Rob Rakowitz advised advertisers to “ensure you’re working with an inclusion and exclusion list that is informed by trusted partners such as NewsGuard and GDI.” These exclusion lists were used to cut off ad revenue to conservative publications.
Publicis’ Role in Health-Related Censorship
Publicis has a special interest in protecting pharmaceutical clients, which are often the subject of media scrutiny. Publicis represents major drug companies such as Pfizer, Sanofi, and AstraZeneca. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it expanded its partnership with NewsGuard by launching “HealthGuard,” a browser extension designed to identify and limit access to what it deemed untrustworthy health information.
As Publicis Health Media explained in a press release, “Through the partnership, Publicis Groupe clients will gain access to NewsGuard’s Responsible Advertising for News Segments (RANS), an inclusion and exclusion tool for marketers curated by NewsGuard’s team of trained journalists.” This tool, they said, would “protect them from having their ads unintentionally fund thousands of misinformation and hoax websites.”
Publicis also launched a campaign called “VaxFacts,” relying on HealthGuard’s tools to guide users toward approved narratives on vaccines and COVID-19. NewsGuard claimed it was “tracking more than 300 vaccine-related false narratives” online, showing the company’s ongoing role in shaping health communication, even after public interest in COVID-19 began to fade.
Ironically, while promoting vaccine-related information, Publicis was forced to pay $350 million in a multi-state settlement for helping Purdue Pharma market OxyContin. The lawsuit accused Publicis of “predatory and deceptive marketing strategies” that contributed to the opioid crisis.
Can Censorship Exist Without Ad Pressure?
The entire system reveals how financial pressure can be used as a powerful form of censorship. While government agencies may not directly remove content, they provide money and legitimacy to groups that control which outlets get funded and which do not. As FFO notes, “The advertising industry has long been the censorship industry’s pressure point of choice.”
Platforms like Facebook and YouTube often make policy changes in response to advertiser concerns. Without the threat of losing ad dollars, there is little incentive for tech platforms to silence certain voices. But with coordinated blacklists created by groups like NewsGuard and pushed by agencies like Publicis, the economic pressure is real. Conservative news sites that are labeled as “untrustworthy” or “misinformation” can lose major portions of their revenue.
Although Publicis has recently distanced itself from NewsGuard — with no current executive listed on the board — its involvement was central to building the current system. Steve King, who spent decades at Publicis, was still on NewsGuard’s board as recently as 2023. Whether Publicis continues to use NewsGuard’s exclusion lists is unclear. The company has not responded to requests for comment.
Many observers believe this growing collaboration between private firms and government agencies poses a direct threat to the First Amendment. Chairman Comer said it clearly in his letter: “The protection of First Amendment rights of American citizens is paramount.” Yet, the documents and contracts show that federal money is flowing to groups that punish speech they disagree with, especially from conservative sources.
Publicis Groupe, NewsGuard, and GARM represent a powerful alliance of government, industry, and media that can decide which voices are heard and which are silenced. Critics say this network is creating a new form of censorship, one that works not through government bans, but through corporate blacklists, ad boycotts, and quiet deplatforming.
Without transparency and accountability, this system will likely continue to grow. And unless the public pushes back, many conservative voices may find themselves shut out of the conversation altogether – not by direct government orders, but by decisions made behind closed doors in corporate boardrooms and government offices.
NP Editor: It is clear that under woke liberal rule, censorship has become an insidious part of our society. Rooting it out will be difficult. But this article makes it clear that advertising pressure is a primary mechanism by which this is done. Remember this, it is important.
