Key points:
- Major ad agencies like IPG and Omnicom conspired with left-wing groups (GARM, NewsGuard) to blacklist conservative outlets, controlling 97% of global ad spend.
- Publishers like Breitbart, Tucker Carlson, Infowars, NaturalNews and X faced financial sabotage for challenging mainstream narratives on COVID, Ukraine, and election fraud.
- The FTC has reclassified these boycotts as illegal collusion, potentially stripping culprits of lucrative federal contracts.
- Under Biden, the “brand safety” scam was used to silence dissent—forcing social media platforms to toe the progressive line or lose advertisers.
- Conservatives must remain vigilant; the left will attempt to revive these tactics under future administrations.
The shadow war against independent media
For years, the left’s censorship strategy operated in two layers: the noisy, performative bans from Silicon Valley and the silent financial strangulation by corporate advertisers. While Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) battled public de-platforming scandals, the real war was waged behind closed doors among ad executives, Democrat operatives, and so-called “disinformation” trackers like NewsGuard.
These groups weaponized ad dollars, pressuring brands to flee platforms hosting conservative views—even if those views were factual. Tucker Carlson’s explosive interviews, Breitbart’s hard-hitting investigations, and independent journalists at NaturalNews and Children's Health Defense exposing COVID overreach and vaccine injury were demonetized overnight. This wasn’t organic market behavior; it was a rigged game, a cartel dictating who could speak and who would be financially smothered.
The FTC strikes back
The cracks in this censorship empire finally appeared when House Republicans and Elon Musk’s lawsuits exposed GARM (Global Alliance for Responsible Media). This coalition, which included IPG and Omnicom, bragged about controlling nearly all global ad spend—effectively holding publishers hostage. Now, under Trump’s FTC, their scheme has been reclassified as a flagrant antitrust violation.
The FTC’s move is monumental. By framing coordinated ad boycotts as illegal collusion, the agency has put every player in the censorship-industrial complex on notice. Worse for them, the FTC is inviting targeted publishers into the investigation, ensuring that silenced voices help dismantle the system that tried to erase them.
But will it last? Conservatives have reason for both celebration and caution. The FTC’s actions could dismantle the ad-based censorship model permanently—or it could be a fleeting victory if Democrats regain power and erase these protections. The key lies in accountability: unless these agencies face severe penalties (like losing federal contracts), they’ll resume their dirty tricks the moment they can under future, democrat-controlled administrations.
This victory is more than just a legal footnote; it’s a testament to the resilience of independent media and the journalists who fought to tell the truth with little to no financial incentive. While leftist outlets relied on corporate ad handouts, conservative publishers built direct relationships with their audiences. Crowdfunding, subscriptions, and alternative platforms like Brighteon.com kept truth alive while the establishment tried to bury it.
The lesson is clear: the left never fights fair. If they can’t win debates, they’ll rig the economy, pressure banks, and silence dissent with financial terrorism. But their greatest weapon—their control over money—has just been exposed as illegal. The reckoning is here.
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