The New Era - All about Sweet Home since 1929

By Brett Wesner

Google and Facebook have enormous economic and political power in society – especially over the news industry.

Many ask if they have played a role in the misinformation that erodes our free press and plagues our democracy.

Google and Facebook have a duopoly of the distribution of digital news content, which drives people to their platforms where they make money.

The platforms hoard critical data and use clever tactics, like reframing stories in rich previews, to keep users on their sites – siphoning off the advertising revenue that small and local publishers need and w...