John Tillman: Florida needs fair ad structure for content creators

Colorful figures stand out on a digital grid, representing diverse customer insights and illustrating the necessity of personalized marketing approaches.

Any small-business owner knows that advertising can make the difference between success and failure. It’s Business 101: the more people who see your product, the more profit you can make.

As the former owner of a retail company and the founder of a digital media agency, I know this firsthand. Market reach, along with a friendly business climate, is the lifeblood for entrepreneurs.

As a Chicago resident who lives part-time in Naples, I can also see the stark difference between states that set their entrepreneurs up for success and those that don’t.

While Florida certainly stands out for its pro-growth policies, it could do more to help its burgeoning sector of content creators flourish by enabling them to grow their audiences.

Let me explain.

Ad exchanges are crucial to content creators, allowing them to monetize their content by connecting them with a broad network of advertisers. Instead of working with individual advertisers, content creators can tap into a marketplace where multiple advertisers bid in real time to place ads on their content.

However, the rise of for-profit media monitoring entities has prevented many content creators from accessing advertising dollars, simply for having a conservative or unpopular viewpoint.

NewsGuard is one such media monitoring service whose impact has made it harder for independent and conservative content creators to grow, whether they’re authors or major news outlets.

A for-profit company, NewsGuard rates content creators on their trustworthiness using arbitrary, subjective criteria to purportedly prohibit the spread of misinformation. NewsGuard then provides that information to ad agencies under the guise of “brand safety” to steer ad dollars away from conservative sources.

Studies underscore NewsGuard’s bias in favor of liberal media sites.

According to Media Research Center and All Sides Media, NewsGuard’s ranking system is heavily biased in favor of left-leaning sites, while discrediting conservative-leaning sites like Newsmax, The Washington Times, Daily Wire, and others. In fact, outlets rated ‘left’ or ‘lean left’ received an average NewsGuard score of 93/100. Sites considered ‘right’ or ‘lean right’ had an average NewsGuard rating of 65/100.

More concerning, NewsGuard rates China’s state-sponsored media outlets higher than some conservative outlets. Yet NewsGuard still received a $750,000 grant from the Defense Department.

Last year, the U.S. House Committee on Small Business investigated the impact of censorship on small businesses. Among their findings was that media monitors contributed to a censorship ecosystem, “impacting not only individuals’ First Amendment rights, but the ability of certain small businesses to compete online.”

There have been concerns about funding media monitors at the state level, too. U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis, while serving as Florida’s CFO, sent a letter asking DOGE to audit censorship grants to universities, specifically through the Defense Department and government entities that partner with USAID.

Patronis cited grants from the University of Central Florida and the University of Florida to NewsGuard, which he said could be an indication of larger concerns.

Florida taxpayers shouldn’t have to fund companies that can choke off revenue to influencers, journalists, authors, news outlets and more, simply for holding conservative views.

Further, Florida is a significant hub for content creators, ranking among the top states for influencer activity. While exact numbers vary, estimates indicate that Florida is home to over 566,000 Instagram influencers, placing it fourth nationally. Approximately 9% of the country’s top influencers are based in Florida, highlighting its prominence in the creator economy.

The Florida Legislature should pass a bill that prevents state agencies from buying advertising that’s filtered through a media monitor. Instead, state advertising should be displayed to as wide an audience as possible, without factoring in a publisher’s viewpoints.

This isn’t a partisan issue. All content creators should have the freedom to express their views and the right to earn a living.

Florida stands out for its good business sense. Supporting a growing Sunshine State industry is not only good business sense, but just good common sense.

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John Tillman is the CEO of American Culture Project and a board member of The Independent Media Council.