John Stanton at Georgetown: Zuckerberg, “The Antithesis of Free Expression”

The following is a statement from John Stanton – co-founder of the Save Journalism Project, a former fellow of Georgetown University, and BuzzFeed’s DC Bureau Chief until being laid off in January – on Georgetown’s seminar on “Free Expression” with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.

What a joke. Mark Zuckerberg is the antithesis of free expression.

He’s thrown pennies at programs to ‘help’ journalists that, in actuality, are little more than PR stunts intended to provide cover as he puts countless journalists out of work, strips the industry to the bone, and reaps billions in ad revenue. He’s thrown free speech, public education, and democracy to the waste side in his quenchless thirst for power and profit.

Instead of providing a platform for Zuckerberg propaganda, how about we rein in this monopoly and save journalism?

Journalism in America is facing an existential threat from the monopolistic control of tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Apple. Big tech’s dominance over the digital advertising market and their unrivaled capacity to monetize its platforms are having drastic effects on journalism as a whole.