Open Markets Institute

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Conference | Competition Policy to Ensure a Thriving Fourth Estate

Open Markets

At our #JournalismAndDemocracy2021 conference, “After Google & Facebook: The Future of Journalism & Democracy,” a wide array of top lawmakers, law enforcers, journalists, and policy analysts—including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison—discussed ways to strengthen journalism while keeping democracy robust. Watch below.

Part 1:
(Panel time stamps noted below)

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Part 2:
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Conference Details:

How can we structure the U.S. market for news and advertising to ensure a financially independent free press at the national, regional, and local level?

Recent actions against Google and Facebook by law enforcers in Washington, individual U.S. states, and Australia, show that we can rebuild independent journalism in America and around the world.

The Open Markets Institute’s Center for Journalism & Liberty hosted this conference in cooperation with The Washington Monthly featuring more than 30 top thought leaders.

Part 1: Panel Time Stamps

  • 0:00 - START - Welcoming remarks: Jody Brannon, director of the Center for Journalism & Liberty.

  • 5:25 - Introduction: Barry Lynn, executive director of the Open Markets Institute.

  • 8:50 - The Crisis of Journalism in Europe: Andrea Coscelli, director of U.K. Competition and Markets Authority, will discuss, with The Markup’s Julia Angwin, last year’s groundbreaking report on the monopolization of the advertising industry, and the CMA’s creation of a new Digital Markets Unit to address the problem.

  • 41:30 - Techniques of Control and Exploitation: Julia Angwin will now join privacy expert Johnny Ryan, and Open Markets Institute’s Sally Hubbard will discuss how Google and Facebook maintain and exercise their power over journalists and readers.

  • 1:27:54 - The View from Today’s Newsroom: Newspaper publishing executives from three metro dailies will discuss their fight to protect independent regional and local newsrooms, and the effects of Google and Facebook’s advertising duopoly. Penny Abernathy, a visiting professor at Medill, will converse with Danielle Coffey of the News Media Alliance, Alan Fisco of the Seattle Times, Dan Krockmalnic of the Boston Globe, and Randy Lebedoff of the Star Tribune.

  • 2:14:44 - The View from Tomorrow’s Newsroom: Three experienced journalists will discuss the challenge of developing new outlets to cover local diverse communities without being able to rely on much digital advertising. Anne Kim of The Washington Monthly moderates this session with entrepreneurial professor Letrell Crittenden, Lauren Williams of the startup Capital B, and The Monthly’s Grace Gedye, who’s written extensively about podcasts.

  • 2:56:52 - Keynote - Monopoly and Democracy in America: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Antitrust Subcommittee, will speak about America’s monopoly crisis with a focus on how it affects America’s free press.

    Part 2: Panel Time Stamps

  • 5:59 - START - The Fight Underway: Journalists and Citizens Use Anti-Monopoly Law to Protect Democracy: Panelists will take a close look at the case against Google, by 15 U.S. states and territories, and the private case against Google’s monopolization of advertising, brought by newspaper publishers from across the U.S. Open Markets Institute’s Sally Hubbard will moderate this session with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, legal analyst Dina Srinavasan, West Virginia newspaper group owner Doug Reynolds, and antitrust attorney Tim Cowen.

  • 56:51 - The Promise and Limits of Philanthropy: Panelists will consider how foundations have helped to save publishers big and small. But the model has a number of economic and political limits. With Report for America’s Steve Waldman, Millie Tran, recently of The Texas Tribune, and local news researcher Penny Abernathy.

  • 1:35:08 - Keynote - A Battle on Many Fronts: Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), chair of the Antitrust Subcommittee in the House of Representatives, will discuss how to stabilize America’s news industry today while taking the steps necessary to protect democracy in the age of Google and Facebook.

  • 1:43:36 - BREAK

  • 2:00:53 - Digital Dark Money in Journalism: Five journalists and scholars will debate whether publishers can take money from Google and Facebook and still be independent. The Washington Monthly’s Paul Glastris will introduce this conversation with Illinois professor Nikki Usher, author of the recent exposé, “Is Facebook Buying Off The New York Times?” Dan Froomkin, former hyperlocal publisher Mandy Jenkins, New York Times media critic Ben Smith, and Financial Times columnist Rana Foroohar.

  • 2:58:28 - Building a Free Press: Protecting Democracy in the Digital Age. Panelists will discuss how to build a free press fit to save democracy – looking at the Australia model and others. Synthesizing the day’s conversation will be Australia regulator Rod Sims, New York Times media critic Ben Smith, Financial Times columnist Rana Foroohar, and Open Markets policy director Phil Longman, author of “Starving the News.”

The Speakers

Elected Officials & Keynotes

Other Presenters and Participants

  • Penny Abernathy, visiting professor at Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University; author of “News Deserts and Ghost Newspapers: Will Local News Survive?” @businessofnews.

Open Markets Institute and Center for Journalism & Liberty Staff

Relevant Readings:

The Center for Journalism & Liberty is part of the Knight Research Network.

This event is in cooperation with The Washington Monthly, whose November/December issue focused on journalism and was sponsored by the Knight Foundation.

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