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The Markup’s pioneering investigation into Instagram censorship has been named a finalist for a 2025 Sigma Award, which celebrates the best data journalism from around the world.
Automated Censorship
Demoted, Deleted, and Denied: There’s More Than Just Shadowbanning on Instagram
An investigation by The Markup found that the platform demoted images of the Israel–Hamas war, deleted captions without warning, and denied users the option to appeal
The Markup “Automated Censorship” reporting team implemented a first-of-its-kind field audit of Instagram’s content moderation algorithms that dissected patterns of censorship and uncovered censorship methods that had not previously been reported on. The investigation found that the platform demoted images of the Israel–Hamas war, deleted captions without warning, and denied users the option to appeal.
The field audit, designed by Markup reporters Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett and Tomas Apodaca, used nearly 100 Instagram accounts to help us move beyond anecdotal claims and uncover measurable patterns of censorship.
Along with the main investigation, Markup reporters published an extensive methodology to facilitate further research into online censorship. The Markup also released a guide on what to do if you think you’re shadowbanned on Instagram (co-published with USA Today), an explainer on how content moderation works at large social media platforms, and an Arabic translation of the investigation.
Impact
Researchers and journalists have used our methodology as an important guide on how to measure shadowbanning. For example, Nieuwsuur, a Dutch current affairs show, cited the investigation as the “most extensive research into this specific topic done so far,” and replicated our results with its own experiments.
Our guide for Instagram users on what to do if you think you’re shadowbanned took on a second life when, in March 2024, Instagram modified the way it recommended posts about politics during a U.S. presidential election year.
Automated Censorship also resonated deeply with readers and the Instagram community — we saw multiple readers share that they had been waiting years for an investigation like this one. The series also had some of the highest engagement since The Markup started publishing online.
Congratulations to the entire team for recognition of their hard work. Congratulations too, to all of this year’s Sigma Award award finalists.
