DOJ Joins Lawsuit Against Media-Tech Collusion Over Free Speech

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is stepping into a legal battle that challenges the powerful alliance between major media outlets and tech corporations accused of stifling independent journalism.

The case, brought by Children’s Health Defense (CHD) and a collection of independent publishers and reporters, targets the “Trusted News Initiative” (TNI), an international consortium that includes the likes of the BBC, Reuters, The Associated Press, and The Washington Post.

Central to the lawsuit is the charge that TNI and its tech partners unlawfully coordinated efforts to silence smaller media competitors by branding their work as “misinformation” or “disinformation” and throttling their reach online.

We obtained a copy of the notice of intent for you here.

The plaintiffs contend that this alleged scheme violates the Sherman Antitrust Act by effectively shutting independent voices out of the marketplace of ideas.

The lawsuit, originally filed in 2023, had seen little movement until recently. The DOJ last week filed a formal notice in federal court indicating it will submit a statement of interest by mid-July. The agency cited the case’s focus on “anticompetitive collusion among competitors over product features” as a matter of federal concern.

For those fighting the case, the DOJ’s involvement signals a hopeful shift. Mary Holland, CHD’s CEO, called the announcement “welcome” and pointed to what she described as years of weak federal antitrust enforcement.

Kim Mack Rosenberg, CHD’s general counsel, added that the DOJ’s interest could help break the logjam that has slowed the case, stating that she is “awaiting the statement of interest here with great interest.”

The plaintiffs represent a broad swath of independent media and public figures, including Creative Destruction Media, TrialSite News, The Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft, Health Nut News publisher Erin Elizabeth Finn, Dr. Joseph Mercola, journalist Ben Swann, and Ty and Charlene Bollinger, known for their platforms The Truth About Cancer and The Truth About Vaccines.

They argue that through shadow bans, removals, and other forms of suppression, tech firms aligned with TNI deliberately crippled their ability to operate and reach audiences.

The TNI brands itself as a coalition working to counter harmful “disinformation.”

Among its participants are not only legacy media institutions but also tech giants like Google, Meta, and Microsoft. The plaintiffs argue, however, that behind this mission lies a coordinated strategy to crush economic competition.

Evidence cited in the complaint includes public remarks from TNI insiders. For instance, former BBC senior news controller Jamie Angus described the real competition facing major news outlets as “a tidal wave of unchecked [reporting] that’s being piped out mainly through digital platforms.”

CHD contends that this reflects TNI’s true motivation: protecting market share under the pretext of curbing false information. Holland stated plainly, “They colluded expressly to suppress economic competition.”

Further allegations center on TNI’s targeting of COVID-19 narratives that did not align with government and establishment positions.

The complaint outlines how the initiative’s so-called early warning system alerted Big Tech companies to voices labeled as problematic, leading to what the plaintiffs describe as a coordinated group boycott that devastated their visibility and advertising income.

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