I don’t recall how old I was when I first heard the term “blacklisted” — junior high maybe? I do recall (vaguely) learning of “The McCarthy Era” and the “Red Scare,” and that McCarthyism was wrong and branding people as “Un-American” was, well, “Un-American” (which was — at the time at least — almost universally considered bad). And I was aware that there were a number of Hollywood figures who were blacklisted for their communist sympathies.

That was about the extent of my adolescent understanding. But the primary takeaway was that a lot of people lost their jobs over their political views and, even if I didn’t share or care for those views, that was unjust.

Little did I know I’d one day wind up on a blacklist of my own. Granted, not as an individual (though, these days, who knows?) but via the site for which I write and edit.

As we reported, on Monday, independent journalist “Kanekoa” posted an eye-opening thread regarding some of the inner workings of tech titan Google. Like the #TwitterFiles, the #GoogleLeaks include screenshots of internal Google documents (originally released in 2019 by software engineer Zach Vorhies) that purport to show how algorithms were manipulated to censor conservative and populist content, including blacklists of numerous right-leaning sites, RedState among them.

#16 Vorhies released one Google blacklist that flagged hundreds of conservative websites to be censored or pushed down in search rankings.

For example, Daily Caller, Western Journal, RedState, Gateway Pundit, Steven Crowder, Michelle Malkin, and Glenn Beck were censored. pic.twitter.com/jJh59Eq2C5

— kanekoa.substack.com (@KanekoaTheGreat) January 30, 2023

Though it hardly comes as a surprise to learn that we’ve been intentionally throttled by Google, it highlights the uphill battle we’re waging on a daily basis. Reach is key, obviously, and yet, that reach is being hamstrung by the tech gods. That we thrive in spite of that constraint is a testament to the quality content provided here at RedState and the support of our valued readers.

But we can’t be — and aren’t — content to just accept the scraps they (grudgingly) afford us. Part of the solution is developing a parallel economy — one that isn’t beholden to the woke folk that seem to populate much of Big Tech. That’s where you come in, dear readers. We need your help to push past those constraints — to grow our reach and share the conservative, pro-American message.

If you haven’t already, we invite you to become a member of our VIP program. Each RedState VIP and VIP Gold membership lessens our reliance on Big Tech and allows us to continue this critical work. We know that the Biden economy is affecting everyone’s bottom line, so with the promo code SAVEAMERICA you’ll get 40% off your VIP membership.

By becoming a RedState VIP member, you’ll not only directly support us in changing minds and winning those ideological battles, but you’ll also get exclusive columns and videos from  Andrew Malcolm, Jeff Charles, Kira Davis, and more.

P.S. – While VIP members have access to a wealth of exclusive content, VIP Gold subscribers get even more. With VIP Gold, not only is your direct support doubled, but VIP Gold members have Gold access across the entire Townhall Media family (Townhall, RedState, PJ Media, and more) – a nearly $300 value.