PragerU

File:Dennis Prager (32566262648).jpg, co-founder of PragerU, in 2018]]

File:Marissa Streit (41117602960) (cropped).jpg

PragerU was founded in 2009 by conservative radio talk show host Dennis Prager and radio producer/screenwriter Allen Estrin,{{Cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Joseph |date=March 3, 2018 |title=How PragerU is winning the Right Wing culture war without Donald Trump |work=BuzzFeed News |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/prager-university |url-status=dead |access-date=March 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214050110/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/prager-university |archive-date=February 14, 2019}}{{Cite magazine|last=Oppenheimer|first=Mark|date=March–April 2018|title=Inside the right-wing YouTube empire that's quietly turning millennials into conservatives|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/03/inside-right-wing-youtube-turning-millennials-conservative-prageru-video-dennis-prager/|magazine=Mother Jones|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525133052/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/03/inside-right-wing-youtube-turning-millennials-conservative-prageru-video-dennis-prager/|archive-date=May 25, 2018|access-date=May 25, 2018|url-status=dead}} in order to advocate for conservative views and to offset what Prager regards as the undermining of college education by the left.{{Cite news |author=Bray |first=Hiawatha |date=October 14, 2016 |title=YouTube restricts access to Dershowitz video |newspaper=The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/10/14/youtube-restricts-access-dershowitz-video/BpnEzzb6VS2U3VZU0tetlI/story.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=August 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113200719/https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/10/14/youtube-restricts-access-dershowitz-video/BpnEzzb6VS2U3VZU0tetlI/story.html |archive-date=November 13, 2016}}{{cite news|last=Klug|first=Lisa|date=June 14, 2017|title=Super-conservative PragerU aims to arm pro-Israel students for their campus 'wastelands'|newspaper=The Times of Israel|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/super-conservative-prageru-aims-to-arm-pro-israel-students-for-their-campus-wastelands/|url-status=live|access-date=August 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170615232706/https://www.timesofisrael.com/super-conservative-prageru-aims-to-arm-pro-israel-students-for-their-campus-wastelands/|archive-date=June 15, 2017}} Marissa Streit, a former Israeli army intelligence member and headmistress of a Los Angeles county school, joined in 2009, and was made the chief executive officer in 2011. They originally considered making it a brick-and-mortar university, but the idea was revised into a digital product to save money.{{Cite news |last=Bowles |first=Nellie |author-link=Nellie Bowles |date=January 4, 2020 |title=Right-Wing Views for Generation Z, Five Minutes at a Time |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/04/us/politics/dennis-prager-university.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=January 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212034527/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/04/us/politics/dennis-prager-university.html |archive-date=February 12, 2020}}

PragerU is based in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, and it had around 50 employees {{as of|2020|1|lc=y}}. PragerU encourages students to join "PragerFORCE", an international student organization to promote PragerU's videos and ideology; about 6,500 college and high school students promoted its videos as of 2020. Despite the name, PragerU is not an academic institution and does not hold classes, does not grant certifications or diplomas, and is not accredited by any recognized body.{{cite news |last=Blow |first=Charles M. |date=August 16, 2023 |title=Using Frederick Douglass to Rationalize Slavery? In Florida, Yes! |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/opinion/florida-prager-slavery-frederick-douglass.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816235648/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/opinion/florida-prager-slavery-frederick-douglass.html |archive-date=August 16, 2023 |accessdate=August 16, 2023 |newspaper=The New York Times |quote="In fine type at the bottom of its webpage, it admits that "PragerU is not an accredited university, nor do we claim to be. We don't offer degrees, but we do provide educational, entertaining, pro-American videos for every age."}}

PragerU reached a billion views in 2018.

In July 2019, PragerU representative Allen Estrin attended then-United States President Donald Trump's Social Media Summit, along with other conservative organizations and people such as Charlie Kirk and James O'Keefe.{{Cite news|last=Overly|first=Steven|date=July 11, 2019|title=Social media gadflies gather for airing of grievances with Trump|work=Politico|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/11/white-house-social-media-bias-talks-1576717|url-status=live|access-date=February 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719113833/https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/11/white-house-social-media-bias-talks-1576717|archive-date=July 19, 2019}}{{Cite news|last=Gilbert|first=Ben|date=July 11, 2019|title=The White House social-media summit doesn't have Facebook or Twitter, but it does have conservative conspiracy theorists — here's who was reportedly invited|work=Business Insider|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-social-media-summit-who-is-going-2019-7|url-status=bot: unknown|access-date=February 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201163555/https://www.businessinsider.com/white-house-social-media-summit-who-is-going-2019-7|archive-date=February 1, 2020}}

In October 2016, PragerU claimed that YouTube had put 21 of PragerU's videos in the "restricted mode" setting, which ensures content is age appropriate. YouTube responded, saying: "We aim to apply the same standards to everyone and we don't censor anyone. Often it's not the right approach to say that videos with the same topic should get the same rating. We'll need to take into consideration what the intent of the video is, what the focus of the video is, what the surrounding metadata of the video explains."

In October 2017, PragerU filed a federal lawsuit against YouTube's parent company, Google, claiming that 37 of its videos were unfairly demonetized or flagged so that they could only be viewed with "restricted mode filtering," which limits views based on viewer characteristics such as age.{{cite web|title=PragerU sues YouTube, says it censors conservative videos|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/10/prageru-sues-youtube-says-it-censors-conservative-videos/|last=Mullin|first=Joe|date=October 25, 2017|website=Ars Technica|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613234427/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/10/prageru-sues-youtube-says-it-censors-conservative-videos/|archive-date=June 13, 2018|access-date=November 13, 2017}} PragerU claimed that Google's demonetization and flagging violated the First Amendment by arguing that YouTube was a public forum. In March 2018, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh dismissed the case, ruling that because Google was a private company, PragerU had failed to show that Google had infringed its free speech rights.{{cite news|last=Neidig|first=Harper|date=March 27, 2018|title=Judge dismisses lawsuit alleging Google censorship of conservative YouTube videos|work=The Hill|url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/380455-judge-dismisses-lawsuit-alleging-google-censorship-of-conservative-youtube/ |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240823103027/https://thehill.com/policy/technology/380455-judge-dismisses-lawsuit-alleging-google-censorship-of-conservative-youtube/ |archive-date=August 23, 2024}}{{Cite news|last=Stempel|first=Jonathan|date=March 27, 2018|title=Google defeats lawsuit claiming YouTube censors conservatives|work=Reuters|editor-last=Choy|editor-first=Marguerita|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alphabet-google-youtube-censorship/google-defeats-lawsuit-claiming-youtube-censors-conservatives-idUSKBN1H320D|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328071201/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alphabet-google-youtube-censorship/google-defeats-lawsuit-claiming-youtube-censors-conservatives-idUSKBN1H320D|archive-date=March 28, 2018|access-date=March 28, 2018}}[https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=14304698794959030599 Prager University v. Google LLC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302101619/https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=14304698794959030599 |date=March 2, 2021 }}, Order Granting Defendants' Motion to Dismiss (N.D. Cal. March 28, 2018). In February 2020, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this ruling.{{Cite web|title=First Amendment doesn't apply on YouTube; judges reject PragerU lawsuit|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/02/first-amendment-doesnt-apply-on-youtube-judges-reject-prageru-lawsuit/|last=Brodkin|first=Jon|date=February 26, 2020|website=Ars Technica|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228000921/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/02/first-amendment-doesnt-apply-on-youtube-judges-reject-prageru-lawsuit/|archive-date=February 28, 2020|access-date=February 27, 2020}}{{Cite news |last=Dinezo |first=Maria |date=February 26, 2020 |title=Ninth Circuit Tosses PragerU's Free Speech Claims Against YouTube |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/ninth-circuit-tosses-pragerus-free-speech-claims-against-youtube/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420070059/https://www.courthousenews.com/ninth-circuit-tosses-pragerus-free-speech-claims-against-youtube/ |archive-date=April 20, 2020 |access-date=February 27, 2020 |work=Courthouse News Service |agency=}}

In 2018, as part of its efforts to counter misinformation, YouTube added fact-checking tags to PragerU's videos about climate change.{{Cite news|last=Hirji|first=Zahra|date=August 7, 2018|title=YouTube Is Fighting Back Against Climate Misinformation|work=BuzzFeed News|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zahrahirji/youtube-climate-change-denial|url-status=dead|access-date=August 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808061145/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zahrahirji/youtube-climate-change-denial|archive-date=August 8, 2018}}{{Cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Joseph |date=December 18, 2018 |title=A Course in Climate Misinformation: How Prager U. Is Propagating Climate Misinformation |url=https://features.weather.com/course-climate-misinformation/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227134554/https://features.weather.com/course-climate-misinformation/ |archive-date=December 27, 2018 |publisher=The Weather Channel}} In August 2018, Facebook removed two PragerU videos from its platform. It later restored the videos, saying that they "were mistakenly removed."{{Cite news |date=July 20, 2018 |title=Facebook apologises to right-wing site |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-45247302 |url-status=live |access-date=July 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823131116/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45247302 |archive-date=August 23, 2018}}{{Cite news|last=Asher Hamilton|first=Isobel|date=August 21, 2018|title=Facebook apologizes to right-wing group PragerU after being accused of censoring its videos|work=Business Insider|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-apologises-to-prageru-for-blocking-its-videos-2018-8|url-status=live|access-date=August 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027145541/https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-apologises-to-prageru-for-blocking-its-videos-2018-8|archive-date=October 27, 2018}} According to Francesca Tripodi, professor of sociology at UNC-Chapel Hill, there are plausible non-ideological explanations for Facebook's removal of several of the videos.{{Cite news|last=Schwartz|first=Oscar|date=December 4, 2018|title=Are Google and Facebook really suppressing conservative politics?|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/dec/04/google-facebook-anti-conservative-bias-claims|url-status=live|access-date=November 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516104659/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/dec/04/google-facebook-anti-conservative-bias-claims|archive-date=May 16, 2019}} PragerU contended that Facebook had engaged in deliberate censorship.

In 2020, YouTube took down two anti-trans videos featuring Candace Owens for violating their policy on hate speech, wherein being transgender was likened to schizophrenia and disease.{{Cite web |last=January |first=Brianna |date=November 23, 2020 |title=YouTube removed anti-trans PragerU videos for violating hate speech policies |url=https://www.mediamatters.org/dennis-prager/youtube-removed-anti-trans-prageru-videos-violating-hate-speech-policies |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524202132/https://www.mediamatters.org/dennis-prager/youtube-removed-anti-trans-prageru-videos-violating-hate-speech-policies |archive-date=May 24, 2023 |access-date=May 25, 2023 |website=Media Matters for America |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=January |first=Brianna |date=January 7, 2021 |title=5 things social media platforms can do to combat anti-LGBTQ disinformation |url=https://www.washingtonblade.com/2021/01/07/5-things-social-media-platforms-can-do-to-combat-anti-lgbtq-disinformation/ |access-date=May 24, 2023 |website=Washington Blade |language=en-US |archive-date=May 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525001655/https://www.washingtonblade.com/2021/01/07/5-things-social-media-platforms-can-do-to-combat-anti-lgbtq-disinformation/ |url-status=live }}

The organization depends on donations to produce its content.{{Cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions|url=https://www.prageru.com/faq|publisher=PragerU|access-date=March 15, 2019|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319184514/https://www.prageru.com/faq/|url-status=live}} Much of PragerU's early funding came from hydraulic fracturing billionaires Dan and Farris Wilks. Two members of the Wilks family sit on PragerU's board. The next-largest donor is the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.{{cite web |author=Kotch |first=Alex |date=December 27, 2018 |title=Who Funds PragerU's Anti-Muslim Content? |url=https://readsludge.com/2018/12/27/who-funds-pragerus-anti-muslim-content/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518195928/https://readsludge.com/2018/12/27/who-funds-pragerus-anti-muslim-content/ |archive-date=May 18, 2019 |access-date=December 28, 2018 |work=Sludge}} Other donors include the Morgan Family Foundation, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, Donors Trust, the late Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson,{{Cite web |date=August 23, 2019 |title=How a Los Angeles-based conservative became one of the internet's biggest sensations |url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-08-22/dennis-prager-university-conservative-internet-sensation |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104230228/https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-08-22/dennis-prager-university-conservative-internet-sensation |archive-date=November 4, 2019 |access-date=November 16, 2019 |website=Los Angeles Times}} Lee Roy Mitchell, and the Minnesota-based Sid and Carol Verdoorn Foundation, led by former C.H. Robinson CEO Sid Verdoorn. Major support is also provided by the National Christian Foundation and the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation.{{cite news |last1=Stone |first1=Peter |date=September 6, 2023|title=US 'university' spreads climate lies and receives millions from rightwing donors |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/06/prageru-climate-change-denier-republican-donors |work=The Guardian |access-date=June 13, 2024}}

As of 2018, the organization reportedly had a $10 million annual budget, of which it spent more than 40% on marketing. In 2019, 40% of its budget came from almost 130,000 online donors; the Los Angeles Times noted that PragerU attracted more donors than some Democratic presidential primary contenders had at the time. In 2021, PragerU reported to have received about $57 million in revenue, most of it from donations, and reported approximately $33 million in expenses.{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon |date=May 9, 2013 |title=Prager University Foundation, Full Filing - Nonprofit Explorer |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/271763901/202211099349300241/full |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103214551/https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/271763901/202211099349300241/full |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |access-date=November 3, 2023 |website=ProPublica |language=en}} PragerU consistently spends more on Facebook advertising than major political campaigns and national advocacy groups.{{Cite news|last=Halper|first=Evan|date=August 23, 2019|title=How a Los Angeles-based conservative became one of the internet's biggest sensations|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-08-22/dennis-prager-university-conservative-internet-sensation|url-status=bot: unknown|url-access=limited|access-date=November 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201141534/https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-08-22/dennis-prager-university-conservative-internet-sensation|archive-date=December 1, 2019}} In 2019, it ranked among the 10 biggest political spenders on the platform.

In 2020, PragerU received $704,057 in COVID-19 relief loans from the Paycheck Protection Program; this debt was later forgiven in full.{{cite web |last1=Syed |first1=Moiz |last2=Willis |first2=Derek |date=July 7, 2020 |title=Coronavirus Bailouts: PragerU |url=https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/prager-university-foundation-2828437102 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603224810/https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/prager-university-foundation-2828437102 |archive-date=June 3, 2021 |access-date=March 7, 2021 |website=ProPublica |publisher=}}

PragerU releases videos on various topics from a conservative viewpoint that according to its site "advances Judeo-Christian values." {{As of|2023|2|df=US}}, its YouTube channel included 2,200 videos.{{cite web|title=Uploads from PragerU|url=https://www.youtube.com/user/PragerUniversity/videos|via=YouTube|access-date=November 14, 2018|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224232303/http://www.youtube.com/user/PragerUniversity/videos|url-status=live}} Each video costs between $25,000 and $30,000 to create. Dennis Prager "personally approves every item" and "edits every script" before publication, according to Mother Jones. PragerU guests cover a range from the secular right, the far-right, and the theocratic right.{{cite journal |last1=Tripodi |first1=Francesca |date=2018 |title=Searching for Alternate Facts |url=https://datasociety.net/library/searching-for-alternative-facts/ |url-status=live |journal=Data & Society |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019110331/https://kennisopenbaarbestuur.nl/media/257152/data_society_searching-for-alternative-facts.pdf |archive-date=October 19, 2021 |access-date=September 22, 2021}} Some prominent video presenters have included Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, Nigel Farage, Charles Krauthammer, Michelle Malkin, Bret Stephens and George Will.{{cite news |last=Dembicki |first=Geoff |date=August 25, 2022 |title=How Fracking Billionaires, Ben Shapiro, and PragerU Built a Climate Crisis–Denial Empire |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/fracking-farris-dan-wilks-prageru-climate-crisis-denial-shapiro/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015002922/https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/y3p33j/fracking-farris-dan-wilks-prageru-climate-crisis-denial-shapiro |archive-date=October 15, 2022 |access-date=October 14, 2022 |work=Vice}}

Much of PragerU's popularity comes from its "5-Minute Videos", which summarize economic, political, and cultural topics, with many discussing controversial topics.

Among topics covered, PragerU videos have argued against a $15 minimum wage, against increased gun control and in support of capitalism. Although topical, PragerU videos largely avoided mentioning Donald Trump during his first presidency.{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=October 20, 2020 |title=Maumee High School history class given conservative media PragerU videos for extra credit |url=https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/maumee-high-school-history-class-assigned-prageru-videos-for-extra-credit/512-fee653b6-3451-4d4a-a59a-8cf34220e071 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103173015/https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/maumee-high-school-history-class-assigned-prageru-videos-for-extra-credit/512-fee653b6-3451-4d4a-a59a-8cf34220e071 |archive-date=November 3, 2020 |access-date=December 28, 2020 |work=WTOL11}} PragerU is pro-Israel, and Dennis Prager has said that "Nothing better identifies incipient evil than antisemitism."{{cite news |last=Klug |first=Lisa |date=June 14, 2017 |title=Super-conservative PragerU aims to arm pro-Israel students for their campus 'wastelands' |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/super-conservative-prageru-aims-to-arm-pro-israel-students-for-their-campus-wastelands/amp/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709192004/https://www.timesofisrael.com/super-conservative-prageru-aims-to-arm-pro-israel-students-for-their-campus-wastelands/amp/ |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |access-date=October 13, 2022 |work=The Times of Israel}} PragerU videos also promote the Electoral College, arguing that it thwarts voter fraud and that "pure democracies do not work".

Dave Rubin stated in a video that "racism, bigotry, xenophobia, homophobia, and Islamophobia" are "meaningless buzzwords". In a video about the alt-right, Michael Knowles argued that it has nothing in common with conservatism and instead is close to leftism, except the left is much larger.

Historians and political scientists have criticized PragerU's videos for containing misleading claims about topics such as slavery{{Cite news |last=Parry |first=Tyler |date=December 6, 2019 |title=Why right-wing commentators distort the history of slavery and emancipation |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/12/06/why-right-wing-commentators-distort-history-slavery-emancipation/ |access-date=March 29, 2023 |archive-date=July 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709192331/https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/12/06/why-right-wing-commentators-distort-history-slavery-emancipation/ |url-status=live }} and racism in the United States, immigration,{{Cite news |last=Nowrasteh |first=Alex |author-link=Alex Nowrasteh |date=September 26, 2018 |title=PragerU's "A nation of immigrants" video has serious problems |work=Cato at Liberty |publisher=Cato Institute |url=https://www.cato.org/blog/pragerus-nation-immigrants-video-has-serious-problems |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115170806/https://www.cato.org/blog/pragerus-nation-immigrants-video-has-serious-problems |archive-date=January 15, 2020}} and the history of fascism. According to GLAAD, an LGBT media monitoring organization, PragerU also promotes anti-LGBT politics.

Many PragerU videos promote fossil fuels, criticize the use of renewable energy, and dispute the scientific consensus on climate change. According to the non-profit think tank InfluenceMap, targeted ads posted on Facebook included misleading material that cast doubt on science, framed climatic concerns as ideological and hysteria, and promoted a conspiracy theory that "big government control" is the real motivation behind energy policies to reduce gas emissions.{{cite news |last=Boyle |first=Louise |date=October 8, 2020 |title=Climate denial ads get 8 million views on Facebook despite firm's "commitment to tackle misinformation": study |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/facebook-climate-change-denial-ads-anti-science-climate-change-crisis-b869090.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429185335/https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/facebook-climate-change-denial-ads-anti-science-climate-change-crisis-b869090.html |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |access-date=April 29, 2021 |newspaper=The Independent}}

PragerU's climate-denying output has included comparisons of climate activists to Nazis and claims that renewable energy is harmful to the environment.{{cite news |author=Oliver Milman |date=August 10, 2023 |title=Videos denying climate science approved by Florida as state curriculum |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/10/florida-ron-desantis-climate-vidoes-school-curriculum |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811045427/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/10/florida-ron-desantis-climate-vidoes-school-curriculum |archive-date=August 11, 2023 |access-date=September 1, 2023 |newspaper=The Guardian}} It has promoted "new climate denial", which involves casting doubt on the negative effects of climate change and anti-climate change policies.{{Cite web |last=Kulkarni |first=Ankita |date=February 20, 2024 |title=What is the 'new climate denial' and how does it impact our response to climate change? |url=https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/analysis/what-is-the-new-climate-denial-and-how-does-it-impact-our-response-to-climate-change |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221013844/https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/analysis/what-is-the-new-climate-denial-and-how-does-it-impact-our-response-to-climate-change |archive-date=February 21, 2024 |access-date=February 20, 2024 |website=Logically |language=en |quote=Logically Facts found that far-right political commentators like Katie Hopkins and popular channels like 'PragerU', which promote "educational content," were also following the trend.}}

Climate Feedback, Reuters and the Weather Channel have found that PragerU's videos promote inaccurate and misleading claims about climate change.{{Cite news |last=Forrester |first=Nikki |date=January 27, 2021 |title=PragerU post by Happer uses flawed reasoning to claim that climate models always fail |url=https://science.feedback.org/review/prageru-post-by-william-happer-uses-flawed-reasoning-to-claim-that-climate-models-always-fail/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240823103028/https://science.feedback.org/review/prageru-post-by-william-happer-uses-flawed-reasoning-to-claim-that-climate-models-always-fail/ |archive-date=August 23, 2024 |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=Science Feedback |publisher=Climate Feedback |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |author= |date=October 16, 2020 |title=Fact check: Video presents climate change statements that lack key context |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2712EY |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726043624/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2712EY |archive-date=July 26, 2021 |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=Reuters |language=en}}

In November 2023, PragerU released Detrans: The Dangers of Gender-Affirming Care, a 21-minute film that follows two people who began gender-affirming care in their late teens and then later detransitioned. The short film was launched with a $1 million marketing campaign that included a "timeline takeover" on Twitter. Detrans was condemned by the president of the Human Rights Campaign, an American LGBTQ advocacy group, who called it "hate-filled propaganda".{{Cite news |last=Yurcaba |first=Jo |date=November 2, 2023 |title=PragerU buys 'takeover' ad on X as part of $1M campaign to promote polarizing 'Detrans' film |work=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/prageru-buys-takeover-ad-x-part-1m-campaign-promote-polarizing-detrans-rcna123351 |access-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103221553/https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/prageru-buys-takeover-ad-x-part-1m-campaign-promote-polarizing-detrans-rcna123351 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=October 30, 2023 |title=Why PragerU is 'taking over' X on Thursday |url=https://www.deseret.com/2023/10/30/23938899/prageru-twitter-takeover-dennis-prager-detrans-film |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103004539/https://www.deseret.com/2023/10/30/23938899/prageru-twitter-takeover-dennis-prager-detrans-film |archive-date=November 3, 2023 |access-date=November 3, 2023 |website=Deseret News |language=en}}

By 2015, PragerU developed two partnership programs to promote its views, including religious material, in public and private schools. PragerU's Educator Program, with 3,000 sign-ups reported as of 2015, supplies teachers with lesson plans and study guides that accompany videos. Secondary school teachers and college professors can register their classes through PragerU's Academic Partnership program, which lets students sign up and allows teachers to monitor their students' progress.{{Cite web|title=Fracking Titans Spend Millions Proselytizing School Children|url=https://rewire.news/article/2015/04/30/conservatives-spend-millions-proselytizing-school-children/|author=Shea|first=Brie|date=April 30, 2015|work=Rewire.News|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830171758/https://rewire.news/article/2015/04/30/conservatives-spend-millions-proselytizing-school-children/|archive-date=August 30, 2017|access-date=December 28, 2018}}

In 2023, Florida became the first state to accept PragerU as an official education vendor. They were approved by the Florida Department of Education, who said that PragerU "aligned with the state's revised civics and government standards."{{Cite web |last=DeLuca |first=Alex |title=Conservative Group PragerU Says Florida Is First State to Approve Its "Curriculum" |url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/prageru-says-florida-schools-to-adopt-its-conservative-curriculum-17481537 |access-date=August 2, 2023 |website=Miami New Times |language=en |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801162302/https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/prageru-says-florida-schools-to-adopt-its-conservative-curriculum-17481537 |url-status=live }} The decision allows public school teachers in Florida to incorporate PragerU videos into their classroom materials. Critics warned that the official recognition of PragerU will expose students to the program's extreme material and expressed concerns about allowing an organization with a track record of disinformation into the curriculum.{{Cite web |last=Girod |first=Brandon |date=August 1, 2023 |title=Florida approves PragerU curriculum: Why critics are sounding the alarm on right-wing bias |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/08/01/prageru-curriculum-florida-schools/70505340007/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801232522/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/08/01/prageru-curriculum-florida-schools/70505340007/ |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |access-date=August 2, 2023 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}{{cite news |last1=Ceballos |first1=Ana |date=July 31, 2023 |title=Florida's conservative PragerU teaching texts labeled 'indoctrination' |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/07/31/floridas-conservative-prageru-teaching-texts-labeled-indoctrination/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801220842/https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/07/31/floridas-conservative-prageru-teaching-texts-labeled-indoctrination/ |archive-date=August 1, 2023 |access-date=August 2, 2023 |work=Tampa Bay Times}} Florida's move was followed by New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Montana, and Arizona, with Louisiana becoming in May 2024 the sixth state to give PragerU materials state sanction.{{Cite news |last1=Natanson |first1=Hannah |last2=Meckler |first2=Laura |date=June 13, 2024 |title=Red states strike deals to show controversial conservative videos in schools |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/06/13/prageru-conservative-education-videos/ |access-date=June 13, 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}

According to a 2019 report in the Los Angeles Times, PragerU videos have been watched more than 2 billion times. In its 2022 annual report, PragerU stated that its videos have received over 7 billion lifetime views.{{Cite web |title=PragerU Annual Report 2022 |url=https://www.prageru.com/pdfs/prageru-2022-annual-report.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214165555/https://www.prageru.com/pdfs/prageru-2022-annual-report.pdf |archive-date=December 14, 2023 |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=prageru.com }} PragerU has ranked highly in influence compared to other free-market advocacy organizations, such as Reason and National Review.{{Cite web|title=The 2020 Ranking Of Free-Market Think Tanks Measured By Social Media Impact|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alejandrochafuen/2020/03/27/the-2020-ranking-of-free-market-think-tanks-measured-by-social-media-impact/|last=Chafuen|first=Alejandro|date=March 27, 2020|website=Forbes|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330010112/https://www.forbes.com/sites/alejandrochafuen/2020/03/27/the-2020-ranking-of-free-market-think-tanks-measured-by-social-media-impact/|archive-date=March 30, 2020|access-date=March 30, 2020}}

Vanity Fair said PragerU "packages right-wing social concepts into slick videos" and that PragerU was "one of the most effective conversion tools for young conservatives."{{cite web|title='Let Me Make You Famous': How Hollywood Invented Ben Shapiro|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/12/how-hollywood-invented-ben-shapiro|last=Nguyen|first=Tina|date=December 9, 2018|work=Vanity Fair|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715171013/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/12/how-hollywood-invented-ben-shapiro|archive-date=July 15, 2019|access-date=December 24, 2018}}

Sociologist Francesca Tripodi has studied PragerU's marketing and messaging for the nonprofit Data & Society.{{cite report|url=https://datasociety.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Data_Society_Searching-for-Alternative-Facts.pdf|title=Searching for Alternative Facts: Analyzing Scriptural Inference in Conservative News Practices|last=Tripodi|first=Francesca|date=May 2018|publisher=Data & Society Research Institute|access-date=December 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628060217/https://datasociety.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Data_Society_Searching-for-Alternative-Facts.pdf|archive-date=June 28, 2018|url-status=live}} She found that PragerU relies on search engine optimization and "suggested content" to market its videos. She noted that PragerU was popular among the respondents in her study and that they all either liked or shared PragerU videos on Facebook. Tripodi argued that PragerU allows viewers to dabble in content that "makes connections to" the alt-right's talking points. In this way, viewers identifying as mainline conservatives gain "easy access to white supremacist logic." She also demonstrated an algorithmic connection on YouTube between PragerU, Fox News, and alt-right personalities.{{cite web |last=Kelley |first=Brendan Joel |date=June 7, 2018 |title=PragerU's Influence |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/06/07/prageru%E2%80%99s-influence |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909035459/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/06/07/prageru%E2%80%99s-influence |archive-date=September 9, 2018 |access-date=September 8, 2018 |website=Hatewatch |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}

A Buzzfeed News article published in 2018 attributed PragerU's success to the quality of its production values compared to similar outlets and to its use of popular presenters with established audiences. The article also noted that it had received comparatively little attention from news and media analysts due to PragerU's lack of coverage of topical issues, such as Donald Trump.

An August 2019 article by Drew Anderson in GLAAD, noted PragerU's "interviews with many controversial public figures who are often hailed by the white supremacist movement" and accused it of a "horrific anti-LGBTQ record."{{Cite web|last=Anderson|first=Drew|date=August 6, 2019|title=BACKGROUNDER: PragerU's Ties to White Supremacy, Horrific Anti-LGBTQ Record|url=https://www.glaad.org/blog/backgrounder-pragerus-ties-white-supremacy-horrific-anti-lgbtq-record|url-status=live|access-date=March 5, 2021|website=GLAAD|language=en|archive-date=March 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304015730/https://www.glaad.org/blog/backgrounder-pragerus-ties-white-supremacy-horrific-anti-lgbtq-record}}

Reason has criticized PragerU's claims of being censored by big tech companies for being false, as the company's content had not been removed from any social media platforms, and that they indicate a misunderstanding of the First Amendment as protecting a party from any type of censorship, when that law merely protects content from censorship by the government.{{cite web|title=PragerU Does Not Understand Censorship|url=https://reason.com/2019/07/30/prageru-does-not-understand-censorship/|last=Binion|first=Bill|date=July 30, 2019|work=Reason|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207120743/https://reason.com/2019/07/30/prageru-does-not-understand-censorship/|archive-date=December 7, 2019|access-date=February 2, 2020}}

PragerU's coverage of COVID-19 has been criticized for spreading false and misleading information about the pandemic.{{cite web |first=Flora |last=Teoh |date=December 24, 2020 |title=PragerU video contains misleading claims about COVID-19 deaths, falsely claims 94% of COVID-19 deaths had pre-existing conditions |url=https://science.feedback.org/review/prageru-video-contains-misleading-claims-about-covid-19-deaths-falsely-claims-94-of-covid-19-deaths-had-pre-existing-conditions/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240823103030/https://science.feedback.org/review/prageru-video-contains-misleading-claims-about-covid-19-deaths-falsely-claims-94-of-covid-19-deaths-had-pre-existing-conditions/ |archive-date=August 23, 2024 |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=Science Feedback |publisher=Health Feedback |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last1=Sommer |first1=Will |date=May 16, 2020 |title=Dennis Prager Licks Dirty Forks To Show COVID Who's Boss |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/dennis-prager-has-the-worst-covid-takes-on-the-internet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119151644/https://www.thedailybeast.com/dennis-prager-has-the-worst-covid-takes-on-the-internet |archive-date=November 19, 2020 |access-date=February 25, 2021 |website=The Daily Beast}}{{cite web |last1=Moran |first1=Lee |date=April 29, 2020 |title=Conservative Pundit's Hot Take On Coronavirus Lockdown Gets The Slapdown It Deserves |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dennis-prager-coronavirus-lockdown-statement-backlash_n_5ea95002c5b6123a1764e528 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016223707/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dennis-prager-coronavirus-lockdown-statement-backlash_n_5ea95002c5b6123a1764e528 |archive-date=October 16, 2023 |access-date=September 16, 2024 |website=The Huffington Post}}{{cite web |author= |date=December 3, 2020 |title=Fact check: Sweden has not achieved herd immunity, is not proof that lockdowns are useless |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN28C2R7/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210022506/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-prageru-sweden-herd-immunit-idUSKBN28C2R7 |archive-date=February 10, 2021 |access-date=September 16, 2024 |work=Reuters}}

In 2019, Mike Gravel, a former United States Senator from Alaska, launched The Gravel Institute, a progressive left-leaning think tank, to counteract PragerU.{{cite web|last1=Pollard|first1=Amelia|date=May 20, 2021|title=The Gravel Institute Punches Up|url=https://prospect.org/politics/gravel-institute-punches-up/|url-status=live|access-date=May 20, 2021|website=The American Prospect|archive-date=May 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520215336/https://prospect.org/politics/gravel-institute-punches-up/}}{{cite web |last=Bonn |first=Tess |date=August 2, 2019 |title=Gravel to form liberal think tank after suspending campaign |url=https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/455914-gravel-to-form-liberal-think-tank-after-suspending-campaign |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110231029/https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/455914-gravel-to-form-liberal-think-tank-after-suspending-campaign |archive-date=November 10, 2020 |access-date=April 8, 2021 |work=The Hill}}{{cite news|date=October 1, 2020|title=The Gravel Institute Is Trying to Make PragerU, But Good|work=Vice (Motherboard)|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-gravel-institute-is-trying-to-make-prageru-but-good/|author-first=Gita|author-last=Jackson|access-date=April 8, 2021|archive-date=March 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210326075840/https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7wawb/the-gravel-institute-is-trying-to-make-prageru-but-good|url-status=live}}

Mother Jones said PragerU videos assert that there is no gender pay gap, and that there is not discrimination in policing of African-Americans.

On the subject of race, Pam Nilan says in her 2021 book Young People and the Far Right that PragerU "pretends to sidestep" white supremacy, but that "the message is always that white culture is better than other cultures."{{cite book|last1=Nilan|first1=Pam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sZAtEAAAQBAJ|title=Young People and the Far Right|date=2021|publisher=Springer Nature|isbn=978-981-16-1811-6|page=10|via=Google Books|access-date=September 22, 2021|archive-date=October 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019110332/https://books.google.com/books?id=sZAtEAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}

A case study of PragerU by McCarthy & Brewer said that "PragerU has fundamental overlapping ideologies to the extreme right" and detailed the methods of persuasion PragerU uses which "combine in a way that reflects information laundering and persuasion techniques used on online platforms by white supremacists who similarly hide racist propaganda behind more politically correct wording and professional-looking websites."{{Cite journal |last1=McCarthy |first1=Adrienne L. |last2=Brewer |first2=Christopher G. |date=May 2022 |title=Hegemony of the Right: A Prager University Case Study |url=https://jcjpc.org/s/McCarthy-Hegemony-of-the-Right-Final-Proof.pdf |journal=Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=20–39 |issn=1070-8286 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220723232837/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b0ee82df793927c77add8b6/t/626d6809a6dae5568cbdd65c/1651337225681/McCarthy+Hegemony+of+the+Right+Final+Proof.pdf |archive-date=July 23, 2022}}

According to Joseph McCarthy of the Weather Channel, in the 2016 video "Fossil Fuels: The Greenest Energy", fossil fuel proponent Alex Epstein promotes misinformation about climate change, including false and misleading claims.

The paleoconservative scholar Paul Gottfried, who has written on fascism, criticized a PragerU video hosted by Dinesh D'Souza which stated that fascism was a left-wing ideology. D'Souza maintained that Italian philosopher Giovanni Gentile, who influenced Italian fascism, was a left-winger, to which Gottfried noted that this contradicted the research by almost all scholars of Gentile's work who view him as an intellectual of the revolutionary right.{{Cite web |last=Gottfried |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Gottfried |date=December 27, 2017 |title=Right-wing Celebrities Play Fast and Loose With History |url=https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/right-wing-celebrities-play-fast-and-loose-with-history/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615140225/https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/right-wing-celebrities-play-fast-and-loose-with-history/ |archive-date=June 15, 2018 |access-date=September 27, 2019 |website=The American Conservative}}

According to Francesca Tripodi, PragerU's videos advance the conspiracy theory, popular among the alt-right, that whiteness and conservatism are under attack and many videos on PragerU focus on delegitimizing the mainstream media, accusing it of being based on emotion or opinion rather than fact.

Alex Nowrasteh of the Cato Institute criticized a 2018 PragerU video by Michelle Malkin that argued for stricter restrictions on immigration. Nowrasteh wrote that the video was full of errors and half-truths and omitted relevant information.{{Third-party inline|date=June 2022}}

In 2018, in the PragerU video "The Suicide of Europe", Douglas Murray argued that Europe is "committing suicide" by allowing mass immigration, condemned "The mass movement of peoples into Europe…from the Middle East, North Africa and East Asia" and criticized European multiculturalism. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) described the video as a "dog whistle to the extreme right." Mark Pitcavage of the Anti-Defamation League described it as "filled with anti-immigration and anti-Muslim rhetoric". "Why Did the Democratic South Become Republican?" is another video that the SPLC says contains such dog whistles. In this video, Vanderbilt University professor Carol M. Swain argues that the Republicans' Southern strategy is a "myth" and is not what caused the South to become Republican. History professor Kevin M. Kruse said that the video presented a "distortion" of history, "cherry-picked" its evidence, and was an "exercise in attacking a straw man".

In June 2020, Snopes and Logically criticized the video "How to End White Privilege" by Brandon Tatum. Tatum argued that white privilege is a myth by claiming his race did not provide a barrier to his personal success, contrary to statistical data on the subject.{{Cite web |date=June 17, 2020 |title=Ex-Cop Brandon Tatum's Success Doesn't Disprove White Privilege |url=https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/06/17/brandon-tatum-white-privilege/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019110333/https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/06/17/brandon-tatum-white-privilege/ |archive-date=October 19, 2021 |access-date=June 28, 2020 |website=Snopes |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Kandelwal |first=Devika |date=July 23, 2020 |title=Misleading: Brandon Tatum's success disproves White Privilege in the United States. |url=https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/fact-check/misleading-brandon-tatum-who-is-a-former-tucson-police-officer-has-become-one-of-the-most-exciting |access-date=February 7, 2024 |website=Logically |language=en}}

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