NewsGuard, Free Speech and Efforts to Censor Our Journalism
At NewsGuard, we believe that the solution to the flood of false, misleading, and otherwise unreliable news and information spread online by tech algorithms and AI is not to censor any content—but, instead, to arm users with accurate information that helps them make their own decisions about whom to trust and what to believe.
Our reliability ratings of online publishers give consumers and businesses information so that they can choose which websites to rely on or promote. Our reporting on provably false claims give users detailed debunks so that they can judge for themselves what is true.
Some publishers with low ratings from NewsGuard—from across the political spectrum—have accused NewsGuard of censorship simply for publishing ratings of their websites or fact-checking false claims they spread. Some have even lobbied government officials and agencies to censor NewsGuard on their behalf. We believe in the First Amendment’s protection of free speech and prohibition of government officials censoring speech—so we’re fighting back.
NewsGuard Files Lawsuit Against Federal Trade Commission Censorship
NewsGuard recently filed suit in federal district court seeking to enjoin the Federal Trade Commission and its chairman, Andrew Ferguson, from continuing an unprecedented year-long campaign, instigated by Newsmax, to use government power to prevent NewsGuard from producing our journalism.
Learn more:
Press coverage of the complaint:
- Washington Post: A company that rates news sites says the Trump administration is strangling it
- Reason: A First Amendment Lawsuit Challenges FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson’s Vendetta Against NewsGuard
- Deadline: Media Ratings Site NewsGuard Sues Trump FTC, Claims Unconstitutional Effort “To Censor Speech”
- Bloomberg: NewsGuard Sues FTC Over Probe into Alleged Advertising Boycotts
- Just The News: Media watchdog NewsGuard sues FTC over alleged First Amendment violations
- Daily Signal: Rating Site Sues Trump Admin Over Probe of Alleged Suppression of Conservative Media
- RawStory: Trump’s FTC accused of hatching revenge plot to crush media ratings firm
- MediaPost: NewsGuard Sues FTC, Claims Omnicom/IPG Condition Unconstitutional
- Law360: News-Rating Biz Escalates Fight Against ‘Retaliatory’ FTC Deal
NewsGuard Wins Dismissal in Lawsuit from Left-Wing Consortium News
In March 2025, a federal judge dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit brought by the left-leaning website Consortium News against NewsGuard, which disputed its low rating and alleged falsely that NewsGuard was acting as an arm of the United States government when it rated Consortium News, violating the publication’s First Amendment rights.
Excerpts from the opinion by Judge Katherine Polk Failla:
“Put simply, the … Complaint lacks sufficient allegations that the Government controlled NewsGuard’s decision-making process and internal operations; accordingly, Plaintiff’s First Amendment claim against NewsGuard fails as a matter of law …”
“[T]he Court finds that the challenged statements are non-actionable expressions of opinion, which Plaintiff does not plausibly allege to be false.”
Read the full legal opinion here.
Federal court upholds NewsGuard’s First Amendment right to rate news websites in Consortium News v. NewsGuard
A federal judge dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit brought by Consortium News against NewsGuard, which disputed its low rating.
Excerpts:
“Put simply, the … Complaint lacks sufficient allegations that the Government controlled NewsGuard’s decision-making process and internal operations; accordingly, Plaintiff’s First Amendment claim against NewsGuard fails as a matter of law …”
“[T]he Court finds that the challenged statements are non-actionable expressions of opinion, which Plaintiff does not plausibly allege to be false.”
Read the full legal opinion here.
NewsGuard Responds to Hostile Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Investigation Based on a False Claim that NewsGuard is a Governmental Actor
In March 2025, the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution held a hearing on the “Censorship Industrial Complex.” Ahead of the hearing, the Committee sent a letter to NewsGuard accusing it of censorship—despite the fact that NewsGuard is a private company, not a government agency, and despite the fact that NewsGuard publishes speech, rather than blocking or censoring the speech of others.
NewsGuard responded in a letter to the Committee.
“We are a private sector company with zero U.S. government funding, despite your letter’s claim. Our entire business is producing—not blocking—speech. As such, it would be impossible for us to violate the First Amendment, as your letter suggests. Our work is instead speech protected by the First Amendment, and your letter’s demand that we justify our constitutionally protected speech to a government committee is itself censorious. In America, no journalism organization should ever face a government inquest into whether or not it has engaged in ‘biased’ speech.”
See full response.