A new report by the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee claims that a powerful group of advertisers has colluded to silence conservative media. Republican lawmakers accuse the World Federation of Advertisers of steering clients away from buying ads on conservative sites.
Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) stated, “They collude to make sure no other advertiser supports any news outlets, platforms, or creators that these massive companies don’t agree with. And these people don’t like conservatives.”
The Daily Wire, claiming to be a victim of these practices, was represented by Founder Ben Shapiro at the hearing. Shapiro accused legacy media of preserving left-leaning narratives, stating, “We’re in the middle of a trust crisis in the world of media.”
However, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) pointed out The Daily Wire’s substantial revenue of $220 million last year, to which Shapiro responded, “I assume we’d be doing a lot better without the institutional obstacles.”
The World Federation of Advertisers, controlling 90% of global ad buys, was labeled a cartel by Republicans. Unilever’s president, Herrish Patel, refuted claims of such control, asserting, “Unilever and Unilever alone controls our advertising spending.”
Advertising executive Christian Juhl from GroupM noted that only 1.28% of ad buys go to online news sites, explaining that brands prefer to avoid advertising alongside news content due to its divisive nature. “This is not a Left, Right, or GroupM preference, it is a-political, it is an industry-wide preference,” Juhl said.
Democrats accused Republicans of abusing oversight authority to push far-right views. Rep. Nadler remarked, “Brands understandably do not want to be associated with extremist views.” Republicans allege this is part of broader targeting by big tech and the Department of Justice.
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