TALLAHASSEE, FL— The Independent Media Council (IMC) today applauded the Florida Legislature for once again taking a strong stand against media blacklists by including a key free speech protection in the 2026-2027 state budget. The budget now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it into law.

The provision prevents state agencies from contracting with advertising agencies or marketing firms that use politically biased media-monitoring and “brand safety” systems such as NewsGuard, Ad Fontes, and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI).

“Florida lawmakers deserve credit for continuing to stand up against politically driven media blacklist systems that distort advertising markets and suppress viewpoints,” said Christine Czernejewski, spokesperson for the IMC.

“Taxpayer-funded advertising should maximize public reach — not be filtered through ideological gatekeepers masquerading as neutral watchdogs. The IMC especially wants to thank Speaker Daniel Perez and State Sen. Ed Hooper for their leadership on this issue.”

Florida first enacted the provision in last year’s state budget, becoming one of the first states in the nation to directly confront the growing use of media blacklists in the advertising industry. Since then, momentum against these censorship systems has continued to grow nationwide.

West Virginia recently passed similar protections through its First Amendment Preservation Act, while Congress adopted comparable language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), restricting the Pentagon from using advertising agencies that use misinformation-monitoring systems when placing military recruitment ads.

The Federal Trade Commission has also scrutinized coordinated “brand safety” practices among major advertising firms that use media monitors like NewsGuard and GDI.

“These media blacklist operations are not neutral watchdogs — they are political pressure campaigns designed to starve disfavored outlets of advertising revenue,” Czernejewski added.

“When governments and major corporations rely on ideological scoring systems to determine which voices deserve economic support, censorship inevitably follows.”

Florida’s continued leadership on the issue is especially important given the state’s growing creator economy and its significant tourism industry. Media blacklist systems distort advertising markets, limiting the reach of taxpayer-funded tourism and public awareness campaigns.

The IMC urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign the budget with the provision intact, noting that Florida has already established itself as a national leader on this issue.

The organization said it expects additional states to follow suit as concerns continue to grow over the use of ideological media-monitoring systems to influence advertising markets and suppress disfavored viewpoints.

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The Independent Media Council (IMC) is a non-profit group of conservative and independent media outlets and aligned organizations that stand for free speech and a free press. Members regularly reach over 75 million Americans. The IMC believes the antidote to misinformation and disinformation is more speech, not censorship and works to protect the speech of all media outlets and content creators.

Florida — JBizNews Desk

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