Major Advertising Agencies Settle Media Censorship Lawsuit With FTC

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and eight states secured a settlement on April 15 that will prevent three major advertising agencies from engaging in unlawful media censorship.

The defendants Dentsu US, Inc.; GroupM Worldwide LLC (doing business as WPP Media); and Publicis, Inc. will no longer enter into deals that require them to restrict working with certain clients, according to the settlement.

“Freedom of speech is foundational to American liberty. A coordinated group of woke, powerful individuals attempted to suppress that Constitutional right by manipulating ad agencies into sabotaging the reach, revenue, and credibility of conservative voices,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement released on April 15.

The plaintiffs—including Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia—alleged that censorship deals between ad agencies and companies had been made in the background during the past decade, which limited rising voices in the alternative and online media space.

The lawsuit accused some of the largest ad agencies of establishing brand-safety agreements that labeled some creators’ content as “misinformation,” meaning they were unable to receive ad revenue.

The alleged brand-safety standards were part of a campaign to demonetize prominent figures in the conservative space, such as Glenn Beck, Steve Bannon, and the late Charlie Kirk, according to court documents reviewed by the Epoch Times.

The campaign allegedly attempted to censor and suppress content from Fox News Channel and X.

“This is a deeply disturbing violation of antitrust laws and our Constitution,” Paxton said.

“This was an egregious attempt to control public opinion and silence those who speak out against the liberal elites and powerful corporations. I will continue to lead the fight against viewpoint suppression and protect the speech of Americans from corrupt manipulation.”

As part of the settlement, defendants also agreed to have a court-ordered monitor to make sure agencies are sticking with the agreement and no longer censoring political viewpoints.

The defendants agreed not to enter into or enforce any deal that would limit their advertising spending on political or ideological viewpoints or diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments.

“The ad agencies’ brand-safety conspiracy turned competition in the market for ad-buying services on its head,” FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson said in a statement on April 15.

“This unlawful collusion not only damaged our marketplace, but also distorted the marketplace of ideas by discriminating against speech and ideas that fell below the unlawfully agreed-upon floor.”

The Epoch Times reached out to the defendants for comment but did not receive a response.