After Google and Facebook:
The Future of Journalism & Democracy

Save the Date: April 20, 2021

The Center for Journalism & Liberty of the Open Markets Institute plans to host a day-long virtual conference Tuesday April 20, 2021. The discussion will bring together lawmakers, law enforcers, journalists, and policy analysts to discuss how to structure the U.S. market for news and advertising to ensure a financially independent free press in America, at the national regional, and local level. The discussion will focus closely on recent actions against Google and Facebook by law enforcers in Washington, individual U.S. states, and Australia, and on plans to rebuild the sort of journalism we need to keep democracy healthy and safe. 

The one-day virtual symposium will include multiple sessions and panels focusing on challenges to media independence, including policy enforcement, sustainability strategies, market structures and equitable advertising systems. The conversations will include debates about new legislation, the actions in Australia, alternative business models and other media matters complicated by Google and Facebook’s domination and influence. Schedule of events to come!

Keynote speakers

Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Antitrust Subcommittee

Rep. David Ciccilline
Chair of the House Judiciary Committee's Antitrust Subcommittee

Other Speakers*:                    

• Julia Angwin, editor in chief at The Markup, author of Dragnet Nation 
• Andrea Coscelli, chief executive, UK Competition and Markets Authority
• Dr. Letrell Crittenden, communication professor Thomas Jefferson University
• Rana Foroohar, Financial Times columnist/editor and author of Don’t Be Evil 
• Sally Hubbard, director of enforcement policy at OMI and  author of Monopolies Suck. 
• Mandy Jenkins, former GM of McClatchy’s Compass Experiment in Youngstown, Ohio
• Dr. Amanda Lotz, digital media professor Queensland University of Technology
• Dr. Johnny Ryan, senior fellow at Irish Council for Civil Liberties,  OMI fellow and former chief privacy officer at Brave Software
• Rod Sims, chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer  Commission 
• Ben Smith, New York Times media columnist, former editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed
• Dina Srinivasan, founder of Effidia, an adtech company whose  technology was acquired by WPP 
• Dr. Nikki Usher, professor U. of Illinois and CJL fellow, author of  News for the Rich, White, and Blue (June 2021)
• Steve Waldman, president of Report for America, and  coordinator of the Rebuild Local News Coalition 

The Center for Journalism & Liberty, now in its second year, is part of the Knight Research Network and is a project of the Open Markets Institute.

About the Center for Journalism & Liberty

Our mission is to ensure that the news media of the US and our democratic allies is fully independent and robustly funded in the 21st century’s digital economy. We are guided by the belief that government plays a fundamental role in structuring news media markets and business models to ensure that neither the state nor any one or few private actors control the words or actions of reporters, editors and publishers. We focus on policy solutions with regard to privacy, platforms, business models, and content integrity. 

*These speakers are confirmed. We will be adding other confirmed speakers in the days ahead.

**Schedule of events will allow for ample time between sessions to accommodate those who need to take a break from excessive screen time, attendees will be free to attend as many sessions as they choose.