"“But the most revealing thing about that letter wasn't the people who signed,” they write. “It was the people who didn't. Not because they disagreed - because they were afraid.”"
"“There are many reasons to block this deal, but we now believe the most fundamental one is what we encountered when asking artists to use their voices: fear. A deep, ugly and pervasive fear of speaking out,” the article continues. “We heard time and time again from artists, when asked to sign this letter, that they supported it but were afraid of retribution.”"
"“Trust them when they tell you they will use the power and this consolidation of media for political reasons,” he tweeted."
"Still, the op-ed ends on an optimistic tone, noting that recent rulings regarding Ticketmaster and Live Nation, the Tenga/Nexstar merger, and against Google and Meta suggest that there is still hope of blocking the merger. Write Ruffalo and Stoller: “The oligarchs are still in charge. But they are starting to lose their grip on power.”"
A media merger faces opposition framed as political retribution against those who resist consolidation. Mark Ruffalo shared claims that the companies would use their power for political purposes. An op-ed by Ruffalo and Matt Stoller reiterates a strategy to stop the merger by collecting signatories, encouraging politicians, and urging attorneys general to investigate and break up the deal. The piece emphasizes that the most revealing aspect of an existing open letter was not the signers but the people who did not sign, described as being afraid rather than disagreeing. Artists reportedly supported the effort but feared retaliation. The op-ed points to recent antitrust rulings involving major media and tech companies as signs that blocking the merger may still be possible.
Read at Jezebel
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