Today, the Justice Department filed a
statement of interest in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in the case of
Children’s Health Defense et al. v. Washington Post et al. The lawsuit — led by plaintiffs allegedly deplatformed for sharing independent news and opinion related to the COVID-19 pandemic — alleges that the Washington Post, BBC, AP, and Reuters colluded with one another and with the large digital platforms to suppress competition from independent perspectives that rival mainstream media. The statement of interest explains how the antitrust laws protect viewpoint competition in news markets.
