TNI has targeted and suppressed accurate online reporting by non-mainstream news publishers, like CHD, especially on COVID-related topics, including treatments, possible origins, lockdowns, mandates, and vaccine injuries.
Washington, D.C. — Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry filed an amicus brief in support of Children’s Health Defense’s (CHD’s) and other Plaintiffs’ groundbreaking lawsuit against the legacy news media members of the Trusted News Initiative (TNI), which alleges that the TNI violated antitrust laws and the U.S. Constitution by colluding with tech giants (also TNI members) to censor online news.
TNI is a self-proclaimed industry “partnership” formed during the early days of the COVID crisis that includes some of the world’s largest legacy news organizations including The Washington Post, The Associated Press, Reuters, and The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The largest Big Tech platforms, including Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Microsoft, are also part of the TNI collaboration.
According to the lawsuit filed by CHD and ten other plaintiffs, including Jim Hoft (the Gateway Pundit) and Dr. Joseph Mercola, TNI boasts that it exists to “choke off” and “stamp out” online news reporting that TNI or any of its members deems “misinformation.” TNI has targeted and suppressed accurate online reporting by non-mainstream news publishers, like CHD, especially on COVID-related topics, including treatments, possible origins, lockdowns, mandates, and vaccine injuries.
Federal antitrust law prohibits companies from colluding to deny critical facilities or market access to rivals. Such agreements, known as group boycotts, are per se illegal. Since 2020, TNI has succeeded in denying such critical market facilities—the world’s dominant social media platforms—to its online rival news publishers whose reporting contradicts TNI’s own “official” beliefs and narratives.
“This amicus brief from the sovereign state of Louisiana is incredibly helpful to CHD’s historic case against TNI and explicating Louisiana’s own compelling interests in its outcome,” said lead attorney for the Plaintiffs Jed Rubenfeld. “We thank Attorney General Landry for his support in combating the clearly unconstitutional censorship that is TNI’s hallmark.”
According to Attorney General Landry’s amicus filing, “The scope of TNI group’s conspiracy is wide-ranging. Restricting disfavored information injures not merely the Plaintiffs, but also Louisiana residents and state officials. Louisiana officials need a free press to communicate with and understand the concerns of the State’s residents. Louisiana residents, in turn, need a free press to receive information and make up their own minds about what is true and what is false. The State has a strong interest in seeing the injuries the TNI group has inflicted on Louisiana officials and residents redressed.”
Federal Judge Terry A. Doughty, United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, granted leave to file Attorney General Landry’s amicus brief. The Court’s decision on the Defendants’ legal objections to the lawsuit is expected in the near future.
About Children’s Health Defense
Children’s Health Defense® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to end childhood health epidemics by working aggressively to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable and establish safeguards to prevent future harm. We fight corruption, mass surveillance and censorship that put profits before people as well as advocate for worldwide rights to health freedom and bodily autonomy.
For more information or to donate to CHD and our ongoing lawsuits, visit ChildrensHealthDefense.org.
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