More than 40 companies, including such major advertisers as McDonald’s, General Motors, PepsiCo and Verizon, have been sent letters from the House Judiciary Committee as part of its ongoing investigation into the use of Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM). The standards set by GARM are under fire as many conservatives contend they’re being used to cut out right-leaning content — including talk radio and conservative podcasts — from their media buys.
“The Committee’s oversight has shown that GARM has deviated far from its original intent, and has collectively used its immense market power to demonetize voices and viewpoints the group disagrees with — even intervening in situations that do not have a so-called ‘brand safety’ concern,” Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) writes in the letters he has sent to company executives.
In the letter, Jordan asks the companies to provide details about their roles in GARM and whether they participated in any “collective boycotts” with GARM or other advertisers that some lawmakers believe violate federal antitrust laws. Jordan also asks whether the companies were “aware of the coordinated actions taken by GARM toward news outlets and podcasts such as The Joe Rogan Experience, The Daily Wire, Breitbart News, or Fox News, or other conservative media.”
This letter is also a formal request to the companies that they preserve all existing and future records and materials relating GARM and World Federation of Advertisers, which created GARM to “create a more sustainable and responsible digital environment that protects consumers, the media industry and society as a result.”
The House Judiciary last month released a report that said it had uncovered some emails that seem to provide evidence to the fears of conservative media that are being redlined. In some of the emails, GARM leadership and its Steer Team members discuss how to target conservative media. According to the report, GARM leader and co-founder Rob Rakowitz also regularly directs GARM members to use exclusion and inclusion lists from “trusted partners” like NewsGuard and GDI to “continue to give a leg up to professional news outlets.”
Jordan said during a Senate hearing last month that he is all for guideposts that steer ads away from content related to things like terrorism and harmful images of children, and for any one company to redline content on its own. But he said it has gone beyond that.
“They collude to make sure that no other advertisers support any news outlets, platforms or creators that these massive companies don’t agree with. And these people do not like conservatives,” Jordan said.
GARM was launched at Cannes by the Brussels-based World Federation of Advertisers in 2019 in the wake of the New Zealand mosque shooting in which the killer livestreamed the attacks on Facebook. It aimed to bring about the changes needed for advertisers to feel more confident about advertising on social media, but its guidelines have moved beyond that.
It calls allegations raised by Jordan about anti-competitive behavior are “unfounded” and points out GARM membership is “entirely voluntary.” The group also says that the frameworks and tools that it has created are “intentionally broad,” and individual companies are free to review, adopt, modify, or reject them as they see fit.
“GARM is not involved in operational steps relative to monetization eligibility, content ratings, platform assessments or media investment decisions. The decision where and when to advertise is always down to the individual advertiser, in collaboration with their agency partners where relevant,” it said in a statement. The group adds that recent engagement with industry leaders suggests that GARM’s work remains “valuable and increasingly relevant” as digital media continues to develop.
The Daily Wire has urged the ad community to stop using the ad-buying guidelines created by the GARM. It said in its own letter to ad industry professionals that they are “gravely concerned” with how GARM and its leaders have privately wielded their considerable concentration of market power — 90% of all ad spend worth $1 trillion — “to target and attempt to bankrupt conservative media like The Daily Wire.”
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