The FTC's recent approval of the $13.5 billion merger between Omnicom Group and The Interpublic Group comes with a critical consent decree aimed at preventing anti-competitive behaviors, particularly against conservative media. The decree prohibits the merged entity from discriminating against publishers based on political ideologies and engaging in practices that could be considered censorship. Previous actions by these advertising giants have raised concerns about collusion against conservative outlets, and legal experts have criticized their use of tactics labeled as targeting "disinformation." The article raises questions about whether reliance on biased media monitors like NewsGuard will continue post-merger.
The FTC's decree prohibits the merged company from directing advertisers' spending away from publishers due to their political or ideological stance.
Legal expert Jonathan Turley has called the disinformation scheme used by ad agencies and NewsGuard 'a massive censorship system.'
The FTC allowed the ad agencies to agree to the Consent Order and stipulate to stop doing anti-competitive acts after the merger is approved.
In the past, agencies like Omnicom and IPG have signed on to DEI-backed initiatives that targeted 'disinformation' media outlets.
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