In an op-ed written by Bernie Sanders himself posted to the Colombian Journalism Review, he revealed his plans to combating the failing state of journalism.

The 4th Estate is failing

Sanders stated that Google and Facebook control 60% percent of the digital advertising and use that to monopolize the market.  Google itself in 2018 ended up making $4.7 billion from reporting that the corporation did not pay for. Sanders also came out against the corporate media conglomerates practices like the biggest newspaper publishing company Gannett’s proposed merger with Gatehouse Media. Sanders stated that this merger will pool hundreds of publications under one mega corporation and slash 300 million dollars worth of jobs.

“Over the past 15 years, more than 1,400 communities across the country have lost newspapers, which are the outlets local television, radio, and digital news sites rely on for reporting. Since 2008, we have seen newsrooms lose 28,000 employees—and in the past year alone, 3,200 people in the media industry have been laid off.” Bernie Sanders said in his op-ed.

Protecting the Press from the Right

And with all the attacks the press has received Sanders also planned to protect journalism from the likes of the right wing and Donald Trump. Calling Trumps of the press labeling them as “enemies of the people” must end.

Sanders also stated later in his piece that if he was president he would establish that major media corporations would have to reveal whether or not their corporate transactions and merger proposals will involve significant journalism layoffs. He also continues to oppose the CBS Viacom merger.

Sanders would also require that if any major media corporation to happen in the future, employees must be given the opportunity to purchase media outlets through employee stock-ownership plans. A practice that came from the print newspaper industry.

His battle with big companies did not end there as he plans to use antitrust laws against Facebook and Google to stop the domination and strangling of the news market.

He also plans to pass legislation to help people in the journalism industry to form unions or strengthen existing ones.