Discussing the call by the News Media Alliance (NMA) for antitrust exemptions, Ken Doctor argues that the organisation’s main goal is a “greater public hearing of the roles of the press and the platforms in a free society”, rather than the apparent object of being allowed to negotiate with Google and Facebook collectively.

“If the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights and the House Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law both hold hearings on the proposal this fall, that would be a big win,” Doctor writes.

He is not alone: for instance the Street also says that the real point of the initiative is to build pressure and shine a light on Google’s and Facebook’s dominance of the online advertising market, especially as the current US administration is unlikely to grant the press’s wish for antitrust exemptions.

Doctor goes on to discuss the various facets of the NMA’s initiative, including the complex discussions on “revenue share” between publishers and tech companies, and why publishers should be vary of giving Google and Facebook a role in their online subscriptions.