Janice Lozano
Prager University, or PragerU, is a conservative media nonprofit organisation that creates educational videos promoting conservative and capitalist viewpoints on various political, economic, and sociological topics. Despite its name, PragerU is not an accredited university and does not offer degrees. However, it has developed partnership programs with schools to promote its content, including religious material, to students. PragerU's videos have been known to contain misleading or factually incorrect information, and the organisation has been accused of promoting fascism, racism, sexism, and anti-LGBT politics. With a large online presence, PragerU has garnered billions of views and aims to educate young people about American values.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of institution | Prager University is not an accredited university. It is a content creator and a nonprofit advocacy group. |
| Target audience | Prager University targets college students and young people. |
| Content | Prager University creates educational videos on various topics, including history, economics, faith, and parenting. |
| Views | Prager University videos have garnered over 8 billion views. |
| Funding | Prager University relies on donations for funding. In 2022, it received over $65 million in donations. |
| Partnerships | Prager University has partnered with public schools in Arizona and at least four other states to incorporate its videos into classroom materials. |
| Criticism | Prager University has been accused of spreading misinformation, promoting extreme right-wing ideologies, and exposing students to extreme material. |
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What You'll Learn
PragerU is not an academic institution
PragerU, short for Prager University Foundation, is a conservative media nonprofit organisation that creates and shares educational videos promoting conservative and capitalist viewpoints on various topics. Despite the use of the word "university" in its name, PragerU is not an academic institution and does not offer degrees.
PragerU was co-founded in 2009 by screenwriter Allen Estrin and conservative talk show host Dennis Prager, for whom the organisation is named. PragerU's videos are crafted to appeal to college students and young people, with titles such as "What Radical Islam and the Woke Have in Common" and "Is There Really a Climate Emergency?". The videos are short, well-produced, and feature polished animations. PragerU has garnered billions of views across its website, mobile app, and social media channels. The organisation relies on donations to produce its content and has received multimillion-dollar donations from funders, including brothers Dan and Farris Wilks, who made their fortune from natural gas fracking.
PragerU has been accused of spreading misinformation and promoting extreme right-wing ideologies, including fascism, racism, sexism, and anti-LGBT politics. In 2018, YouTube added fact-checking tags to PragerU's videos about climate change and removed two anti-trans videos featuring Candace Owens for violating their policy on hate speech. In the same year, PragerU released a video titled "The Suicide of Europe", which was criticised by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Anti-Defamation League for its anti-immigration and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
While PragerU is not a recognised academic institution, it has been attempting to get its content into schools. In 2015, PragerU developed two partnership programs, the Educator Program and the Academic Partnership program, to promote its views in public and private schools. In 2023, Florida became the first state to accept PragerU as an official education vendor, allowing public school teachers to incorporate PragerU videos into their classroom materials. This decision has sparked concerns from critics who warn that PragerU's extreme material will expose students to harmful ideologies.
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PragerU videos contain misleading information
Prager University, or PragerU, is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy group and media organization. It creates content promoting conservative and capitalist viewpoints on various political, economic, and sociological topics. Despite including the word "university" in its name, PragerU is not an academic institution and does not confer degrees. PragerU's videos have been criticized for containing misleading or factually incorrect information on various topics.
One notable example is PragerU's coverage of COVID-19, which has been criticized for spreading false and misleading information about the pandemic. PragerU videos have also been accused of promoting creationism, climate change denial, and disputing the scientific consensus on climate change. For instance, in the video "Fossil Fuels: The Greenest Energy," fossil fuel proponent Alex Epstein promotes misinformation about climate change, making misleading claims. PragerU has also been criticized for promoting conspiracy theories, such as comparing climate activists to Nazis and claiming that renewable energy is harmful to the environment.
In addition, PragerU has been criticized for its content on immigration. In the 2018 video "The Suicide of Europe," Douglas Murray argues that Europe is "committing suicide" by allowing mass immigration and criticizes European multiculturalism. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) described the video as a "dog whistle to the extreme right," and Mark Pitcavage of the Anti-Defamation League called it "anti-immigration and anti-Muslim rhetoric." Another video, "Why Did the Democratic South Become Republican?", was also criticized by the SPLC for containing similar dog whistles.
PragerU has also been accused of promoting racism, sexism, and anti-LGBT politics. GLAAD, an LGBT media monitoring organization, has stated that PragerU promotes anti-LGBT politics. PragerU's videos have also been criticized for containing misleading claims about slavery and racism in the United States, with historians and political scientists noting that PragerU's content omits relevant information and presents a distorted view of history.
Furthermore, PragerU has faced criticism for its influence in education. By 2015, PragerU developed partnership programs to promote its views in public and private schools. The organization's Educator Program supplies teachers with lesson plans and study guides that accompany PragerU videos. Florida became the first state to accept PragerU as an official education vendor in 2023, allowing public school teachers to incorporate PragerU videos into their classroom materials. Critics have expressed concern that this will expose students to extreme and misleading content.
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PragerU's Educator Program
PragerU is not an accredited university and does not offer degrees. Despite the name, it is a content creator and a conservative media nonprofit organisation. PragerU creates educational videos that promote conservative and capitalist viewpoints on various political, economic, and sociological topics.
PragerU Educator Program
The PragerU Educator Program is one of two partnership programs developed by PragerU to promote its views in public and private schools. The program provides teachers with lesson plans and study guides that accompany PragerU videos. Teachers can register their classes through the PragerU Academic Partnership program, allowing students to sign up and teachers to monitor their progress. By 2015, the program had 3,000 sign-ups.
In 2023, Florida became the first state to accept PragerU as an official education vendor. The Florida Department of Education approved PragerU, stating that its content "aligned with the state's revised civics and government standards." This decision has been criticised by some who argue that it will expose students to extreme material.
Arizona and at least four other states have also approved PragerU's material for use in public school classrooms. At a news conference with Arizona state officials, PragerU CEO Marissa Streit emphasised the organisation's goal of reaching young people with its content. PragerU's videos have been described as well-produced and crafted to appeal to college students and young people, with titles such as "What Radical Islam and the Woke Have in Common" and "Is There Really a Climate Emergency?".
PragerU relies on donations to produce its content and has received multimillion-dollar donations from conservative funders. The organisation has been accused of promoting misinformation, as well as fascism, racism, sexism, and anti-LGBT politics.
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PragerU's Academic Partnership Program
PragerU, short for Prager University, is a non-profit organization that creates videos on various political, economic, and philosophical topics from a conservative or right-wing perspective. Despite the name, PragerU is not an academic institution and does not hold classes, grant certifications or diplomas, or confer degrees. It is also not accredited by any recognized body.
The Academic Partnership Program allows secondary school teachers and college professors to register their classes, enabling students to sign up and teachers to monitor their students' progress. In 2023, Florida became the first state to accept PragerU as an official education vendor, with the Florida Department of Education stating that PragerU "aligned with the state's revised civics and government standards." This decision has been criticized by some who warn that it will expose students to PragerU's extreme material.
PragerU also encourages students to join "PragerFORCE", an international student organization that promotes PragerU's videos and ideology. About 6,500 college and high school students promoted its videos as of 2020.
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PragerU's Florida approval
PragerU, or Prager University Foundation, is an American non-profit advocacy group and media organization that creates content promoting conservative and capitalist viewpoints on various topics. Despite its name, it is not an accredited university and does not offer degrees. Instead, it provides educational videos for all ages on history, economics, faith, and parenting, among other subjects. PragerU relies on donations to produce its content, and its videos have garnered billions of views.
In 2023, Florida became the first state to approve PragerU as an official education vendor. The Florida Department of Education stated that PragerU's content aligned with the state's revised civics and government standards. This decision allows public school teachers in Florida to use PragerU videos and materials in their classrooms. While some parents and educators applaud the decision, bringing much-needed balance to what students are taught, critics warn that the approval will expose students to extreme and misleading content.
PragerU's approval in Florida is part of a larger trend of states adopting its content. As of 2024, it remained unclear which counties in Florida would use PragerU materials in classrooms. While Alachua and Levy counties opted not to use the materials due to timing, other counties did not respond to inquiries. PragerU's CEO, Marissa Streit, stated that the organization is working with ten other states to gain similar approval, but details remain undisclosed.
The approval of PragerU content in Florida has sparked controversy. Critics argue that PragerU promotes right-wing propaganda and tries to whitewash history. One of PragerU's videos, "Poland: Ania's Energy Crisis," has been criticized by climate scientists for including climate denial talking points and emotionally manipulative visuals. Kristina Dahl, a principal climate scientist, expressed concern that the video deliberately misleads children about climate change solutions.
The debate surrounding PragerU's approval in Florida reflects a broader battle over classroom instruction in the United States. Some argue that progressive teachers are indoctrinating students with ideas about race, privilege, and gender, while others counter that the right is attempting to marginalize already marginalized groups and stifle academic inquiries. PragerU's content, which includes videos questioning climate change and denying racism in the Southern United States, has drawn criticism from academics and sparked accusations of cherry-picking information.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Prager University is not an academic institution and does not confer degrees. It is a content creator and media organization that produces videos promoting conservative and capitalist viewpoints.
Prager University, also known as PragerU, produces short, well-produced videos that appeal to college students and young people. These videos cover various political, economic, and sociological topics, often from a conservative perspective. PragerU has been accused of promoting misinformation, extremism, and hate speech in its videos.
PragerU distributes its content through its website, mobile app, and social media channels. They have also developed partnership programs with schools to incorporate their videos into classroom materials. As of 2023, Florida has become the first state to accept PragerU as an official education vendor, allowing public school teachers to use PragerU videos in their classes.
