Coca-Cola could be added to the ever-changing merry-go-round of typical American companies targeted for Republican retaliation.
In recent years, the right has raged against the NFL, Major League Baseball, M&Ms, Barbie dolls, American Girl dolls, Disney, and Bud Light as targets of culture wars. Now, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan is adding Coca-Cola to the list of apparent violations for potentially not advertising on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. (Coca-Cola has drawn calls for a boycott against Donald Trump in 2021 to defend voting rights in Georgia.)
In recent years, the right has raged against the NFL, Major League Baseball, M&Ms, Barbie dolls, American Girl dolls, Disney, and Bud Light as targets of culture wars.
Rogan's podcast is hugely popular among conservatives, especially conservative men, and Jordan suspects that Coca-Cola is part of a corporate conspiracy to censor Rogan by denying advertising revenue to its parent company, Spotify. He seems to think that it is a department. At least, that's the claim the Ohio Republican is making in a letter to Coca-Cola's CEO requesting documents from the company.
Jordan's claim is that Coca-Cola and other corporate members of an organization called the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), part of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), are working to block right-wing advertising. This suggests that the company may have violated antitrust laws. platforms, or alongside content produced by the right wing. Mr. Jordan did not provide any specifics to support his claims, merely referring to “evidence obtained by the committee.” Given his past experience, he would conclude that this is all part of Jordan's ill-fated effort to demonstrate a broader conspiracy by government and private industry to suppress conservative speech.
From the letter:
Coca-Cola's membership in GARM puts Coca-Cola in a position where it cannot leverage the collective power of GARM to monetize disadvantaged platforms and voices. Evidence obtained by the Commission shows that Coca-Cola used its membership to coordinate with other GARM members regarding decisions regarding which platforms and content creators should and should not receive advertising fees from GARM members. Suggests. The ability of GARM members to threaten platforms or content creators with the possibility of withdrawing advertising spending could have the effect of influencing platform decision-making or silencing certain viewpoints.
As you can see, Jordan says this adjustment is part of a conspiracy to “demonetize” conservative voices (“demonetization” is clearly the Republican Party's way of saying “we “Choosing not to fund the media people you prefer.”
He is requesting documents regarding Coca-Cola's involvement with GARM and WFA, as well as the three organizations' discussions about misinformation, disinformation and “objectionable content” on Spotify and Rogan's podcast.Logan is It has faced criticism for platforming far-right conspiracy theorists, especially during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. (As The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes, it is currently unclear whether Coca-Cola is advertising on Rogan's podcast. The company did not respond to his AJC request for comment.)
Jordan is also participating in an investigation into energy company Orsted. This is an effort similar to Jordan's investigation into other GARM corporate members who are said to dislike advertising on conservative-leaning platforms, such as Elon Musk-owned Company X. We have issued an official statement on this issue. ) So while these attacks are not new, their frequency is part of the problem.
Pressure may force compliance. For example, disinformation experts say the Jordanian movement has had a chilling effect on their work. And now that he has undermined the researchers, he is putting pressure on them. Private industry will also be subject to the wishes of conservatives.
Jordan is acting as a MAGA attack dog in these dubious investigations of free enterprise. And the message is clear. If Republicans take full control of Washington, businesses could succumb if they don't appease conservatives.
