Manhattan Official Urges NYC To Pull Newsmax From Taxi Screens as Network Calls Move ‘Censorship’
An elected official is pressing New York City to remove Newsmax programming from taxi screens, arguing that the network’s content should not be shown to passengers across the city.
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal has formally asked Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Midori Valdivia to intervene, calling for the city to end what he described as the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s relationship with the company that carries Newsmax segments in cabs. In a Jan. 21 letter first reported by the New York Post, Hoylman-Sigal wrote that Newsmax should not be aired in taxis because of what he characterized as “politically charged content” and what he called a record of misinformation.
Newsmax rejected the effort, describing it as censorship aimed at a media outlet with a large national audience. In a statement, the network said the push to remove its content was an attempt to silence a news organization watched regularly by more than 50 million Americans, adding that its straightforward approach to reporting angers political opponents.
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The broadcasts in question stem from an agreement Newsmax signed last year with Curb, a transportation technology company, to provide brief one-minute news updates hosted by network anchors. The segments are shown in more than 15,000 taxis nationwide. Although New York City taxis are privately owned, the city issues medallions that allow them to operate.
Hoylman-Sigal urged city officials to suspend the commission’s partnership with Curb and to require the company to end its arrangement with Newsmax as a condition tied to licensing.
Supporters of the network criticized the request as viewpoint discrimination. Stefano Forte, president of the New York Republican Club, told the Post that the move amounted to “cancel culture in the free market,” adding that passengers were unlikely to be swayed politically by brief taxi programming.
Mayor Mamdani, who was recently elected, had not publicly responded to the request as of Friday, and City Hall declined to comment when contacted by the Post.
Newsmax, launched as a cable channel in 2014, is carried by major cable and satellite providers and appears on screens in hotels, restaurants, and public venues across the country.
