ICYMI: “A Reporter’s Fight to Expose Epstein’s Crimes — and Earn a Living”

Because of her diligent reporting in 2018, Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown revealed the monstrous crimes of Jeffrey Epstein that led many to believe there would be real legal accountability to criminals like Epstein and many others. Her excellent investigative journalism showcased that local news is a vital tool to combat political corruption and nationalize regional issues with a global impact.

In a must-read column by Michelle Goldberg for the New York Times titled, “A Reporter’s Fight to Expose Epstein’s Crimes — and Earn a Living,” Goldberg details the juxtaposition of Epstein, a millionaire amassing millions while committing monstrous crimes and the local journalist who exposed him struggling to make a living. This all shouldn’t be a surprise as the newspaper industry has been contracting — all thanks to Google and Facebook — exponentially laying off reporters and forcing those left to do with very little and still hold the powerful accountable. 

With Google and Facebook draining every last bit of local news resources, much wrongdoing will likely  go unexposed. With many news outlets shrinking or disappearing altogether, the strain on the industry’s ad revenue caused by Big Tech is imperiling the journalism industry. 

Google and Facebook have long abused their monopoly power – rigging ad prices against news publishers to reduce their revenue, punishing publishers that don’t use their products, and favoring their own products – to take further hold of the market, with deleterious effects on how Americans can get their news. 

At the Save Journalism Project we have been echoing the calls for U.S. policymakers to increase this pressure on internet companies that are profiting from the unfair use of content from news organizations and regulate Big Tech before it’s too late.