Microsoft has removed mentions of NewsGuard from key English-language guides for its Search Coach classroom tool and says it did not renew a contract with the ratings firm, following inquiries from Sen. Ted Cruz. Archived documentation and localized pages suggest some references persist.
Microsoft has scaled back references to NewsGuard across parts of its education-support site, including removing mentions from the main English-language product guide for Search Coach, a tool embedded in Teams for Education that teaches research skills. After publication of a Daily Wire report, a Microsoft spokesperson told the outlet: “We consistently review our business partnerships and did not renew our contract with NewsGuard.” (learn.microsoft.com)
The company’s relationship with NewsGuard drew attention after Sen. Ted Cruz (R‑Texas) sent Microsoft a letter on December 23, 2024, questioning the firm’s promotion and funding of NewsGuard’s “Media Literacy” program. In a February 2025 update, the Senate Commerce Committee said Microsoft characterized its support as a single 2018 donation and asked NewsGuard to remove a line crediting Microsoft for funding — which NewsGuard did. (commerce.senate.gov)
Despite that, some guidance persisted into 2025. In March, The Federalist reported that Microsoft materials instructed students to “observe any NewsGuard ratings” during research; the outlet noted Microsoft subsequently removed some references. (thefederalist.com)
Archived Microsoft support pages show that as of September 5, 2025, Search Coach explicitly described NewsGuard as an “objective” and “reputable” organization embedded to evaluate site reliability and listed fact-checking sites such as Snopes and PolitiFact within a recommended filter. (web.archive.org)
Today, Microsoft’s English-language product guide omits NewsGuard, but multiple localized Learn pages (including Swedish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, and Indonesian versions) still state that Search Coach “is also integrated with NewsGuard.” This suggests documentation changes are rolling out unevenly by locale. (learn.microsoft.com)
Microsoft’s removal of many references follows broader scrutiny of ratings and brand-safety groups. The House Oversight Committee opened an inquiry into NewsGuard’s operations and government ties in 2024, and has since sought additional records. Separately, the FTC has launched a wider probe into potential advertiser boycotts and coordination in the ad industry; court filings and reporting indicate the agency’s civil investigative demands encompass several brand-safety and watchdog groups. (oversight.house.gov)
In December 2024, then-FTC Commissioner (now Chair) Andrew N. Ferguson argued that poor ratings from services like NewsGuard can “choke off the advertising dollars that are the lifeblood for many websites,” in the context of potential antitrust issues around group boycotts. (Ferguson became FTC chair on January 20, 2025.) (techdirt.com)
NewsGuard says it has received U.S. government funding in the past, including a $25,000 pilot associated with the State Department’s Global Engagement Center and a Defense Department component, but states it has had no U.S. government contracts since 2021 and that current revenue comes primarily from private-sector licenses. (newsguardtech.com)
The service maintains partnerships in education and libraries. The American Federation of Teachers announced a nationwide NewsGuard partnership in 2022, later expanding it alongside AI-detection tools. (aft.org)
NewsGuard has long drawn criticism from some right-leaning outlets. In a 2020 analysis, NewsGuard described The Daily Wire as “a site founded by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro that distorts facts to advance a partisan agenda,” a characterization the outlet disputes. (newsguardtech.com)
The Daily Wire also reported that, even after Microsoft removed most mentions, a vestigial sidebar reference to NewsGuard remained on one page but produced an error when clicked. That specific behavior could not be independently replicated here and is attributed to the outlet’s review of the page at the time. (dailywire.com)
