News Release
For Immediate Release: 2.17.26
Contact: Peyton Drew, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
Sixteen Attorneys General Demand Answers to YouTube’s Censorship of Conservative Commentator Steve Deace
Letter demands explanation of viewpoint-targeted censorship and shadow-banning by social media platform.
Plano, TX—Sixteen Attorneys General sent a letter to YouTube executives demanding answers regarding YouTube’s treatment of politically conservative content creators and channels since January 1, 2019, including First Liberty Institute client and Christian conservative commentator Steve Deace.
You can read the letter here.
“Social media monopolies admit to colluding with the government to censor speech,” said Hiram Sasser, Executive General Counsel for First Liberty Institute. “Unfortunately, that censorship seems to be continuing. We are grateful for the leadership of Attorneys General Bird and Paxton for leading, as well as the fourteen other Attorneys General for joining this effort to get to the bottom of Big Tech censorship of conservative voices.”
“I am very thankful to see Brenna Bird and all the other attorneys general take up this crucial issue,” said Steve Deace, host of The Steve Deace Show on Blaze Media. “But I’m also not surprised, because our Republican AGs have been some of the most eager and effective warriors in our party, including my own AG Brenna Bird.”
Between 2020 and 2022, YouTube removed at least four of episodes of The Steve Deace Show from its platform because of speech critical of the COVID-19 lockdowns, the COVID-19 vaccine, and the integrity of the 2020 election. YouTube’s metrics show that The Steve Deace Show experienced explosive growth on YouTube in 2020. Toward the end of 2021, YouTube removed two of his videos. This precipitated a sharp fall in views and impressions in 2022. During the same period (2022), the show experienced significant growth on other platforms, such as Apple Podcasts. This strongly suggests that YouTube shadowbanned or otherwise limited the visibility of The Steve Deace Show. YouTube appears to have silently censored his channel even when content was not alleged to have violated the site’s terms, censoring that seems to be continuing.
According to the letter sent today to executives at Alphabet and YouTube, “In its September 23, 2025, letter, Alphabet admitted that Senior Biden Administration officials ‘conducted repeated and sustained outreach to Alphabet and pressed the Company regarding certain user-generated content related to the COVID-19 pandemic that did not violate its policies.’Alphabet also admitted that ‘the Administration’s officials, including President Biden, created a political atmosphere that sought to influence the actions of platforms based on their concerns regarding misinformation.” The Generals asked several questions, including whether or not YouTue “flag[s] certain topics or phrases for more scrutiny, and, “Did YouTube limit the visibility of Iowan Steve Deace or programming on the Blaze Media platform between 2019 and present?”
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About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact Peyton Drew at media@firstliberty.org.
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