Star Journal
David faces Goliath
Dear Reader,
Multi Media Channels, LLC, the owner of this newspaper, has taken a bold step. We are suing Google and Facebook alleging they engaged in anti-competitive practices in violation of federal antitrust laws. Because of the importance of this lawsuit to the existence of our country’s free and diverse press, we are publishing our 41-page Amended Complaint in its entirety, as part of our service to the public.
The Amended Complaint alleges that the unlawful practices of these two Big Tech giants, which includes a secret price-fixing agreement they code-named “Jedi Blue,” have monopolized the digital advertising market thereby strangling a primary source of revenue for local newspapers across the country. As advertising revenues for local newspapers—which are necessary to sustain good quality journalism and local reporting—have withered, Google and Facebook have made billions of dollars. The decrease in advertising revenues has had a profound impact upon local news: More than 2,000 local newspapers have closed since 2004 and nearly half of all newsrooms have disappeared.