New York Times reporter Nico Grant reached out to numerous conservative figures, including Shapiro, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, entrepreneur Elon Musk, and Andrew Klavan, the host of a Daily Wire show. Grant asked them to respond to criticism that they spread “election misinformation,” citing the left-wing outlet Media Matters, and asking whether YouTube had warned them about this “misinformation.”

“Their goal is to shut the spigot off so you can’t get any information on places like YouTube,” Shapiro told The Daily Signal in written comments Wednesday. He noted that many Americans hear about the new on YouTube. A Pew Research Center survey from September found that 32% of Americans regularly get news on YouTube, an increase from 23% in 2020.

“Shutting off the spigot on news information one week in advance of an election. That is The New York Times’ trick,” he added.