NEW YORK: Gannett, the largest US newspaper chain and publisher of USA Today, on Tuesday sued Google for trying to corner the market for online advertising by monopolizing ad technology.
In a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, Gannett, which has more than 200 daily newspapers, said Google’s control over tools for buying and selling online ads forces publishers to sell more cheap ad space to the Alphabet Inc. unit.
Gannett said this leaves Google with “exorbitant monopoly profits,” and “dramatically less revenue” for publishers and its ad technology rivals.
“Digital advertising is the lifeblood of the online economy,” Gannett Chief Executive Mike Reed said in an opinion
published in USA Today. “Without free and fair competition for digital ad space, publishers cannot invest in their newsrooms.”
Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Gannett said it wants “very substantial” actual, punitive and triple damages.
The lawsuit adds to legal pressure on Mountain View, California-based Alphabet, already in the crosshairs of regulators on two continents.
On June 14, the European Union brought a similar lawsuit, and said Google might have to sell some of its ad technology.
Five months earlier, the US Department of Justice brought its own case against Google, now joined by 17 US states. Another group of states led by Texas is also suing.
In 2022, Google generated $224.5 billion of advertising revenue, accounting for nearly 80 percent of Alphabet’s overall revenue and a major driver of Alphabet’s overall $60 billion profit.
Advertising lets Google offer many services for free, including email, Android and much of its YouTube video platform.
Google’s first-quarter ad revenue was $54.5 billion, little changed from a year earlier.
Like many newspaper publishers, McLean, Virginia-based Gannett has struggled with falling ad revenue as more Americans, estimated at 86 percent, get news online.
Gannett said digital advertising is a $200 billion business, up nearly eightfold since 2009, but newspaper ad revenue fell nearly 70 percent over that time. Print circulation at Gannett-owned newspapers fell nearly 20 percent in 2020 and 2021, the company said.
The case is Gannett Co. v Google LLC et al, US District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 23-05177.
Gannett sues Google, alleges online ad monopoly
https://arab.news/j8fqr
Gannett sues Google, alleges online ad monopoly
- Gannett claims Google’s control over tools for buying and selling online ads leaves publishers with 'dramatically less revenue'
Tucker Carlson claims he was detained at Israeli airport
DUBAI: Earlier this week, Tucker Carlson flew to Israel to interview US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, according to media reports.
Carlson, who reportedly refused to leave Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport complex, conducted the interview at the airport, after which he said he and his staff were detained and their passports were seized.
“Men who identified themselves as airport security took our passports, hauled our executive producer into a side room and then demanded to know what we spoke to Ambassador Huckabee about,” Carlson said in a statement to The New York Post.
However, Carlson’s claims have been contradicted by Huckabee and Israeli authorities.
Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Fox News host, said on social media platform X that “EVERYONE who comes in/out of Israel (every country for that matter) has passports checked & routinely asked security questions,” including himself, despite holding a diplomatic passport and visa.
Thanks @EFischberger for a more accurate report. EVERYONE who comes in/out of Israel (every country for that matter) has passports checked & routinely asked security questions. Even ME going in/out with Diplomatic Passport & Diplomatic Visa. https://t.co/UbblLiznMO
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) February 18, 2026
The US Embassy in Israel also described the interaction as routine passport control procedures.
The Israel Airports Authority said in a statement that Carlson and his staff “were not detained, delayed, or interrogated.”
They were asked “a few routine questions, in accordance with standard procedures applied to many travelers,” and this conversation took place in a separate room within the VIP lounge to protect their privacy, the statement added.
“No unusual incident occurred, and the Israel Airports Authority firmly rejects any other claims.”
Israeli Airports Authority:
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) February 18, 2026
Contrary to the reports, Tucker Carlson and his entourage were not detained, delayed, or interrogated.
Mr. Carlson and his party were politely asked a few routine questions, in accordance with standard procedures applied to many travelers.
The…
Carlson has faced criticism in recent years over his commentary on Israel, with critics accusing him of amplifying narratives that are hostile to Israel and, at times, antisemitic. He has also questioned Israel’s treatment of Christian communities in the region.
After Fox News canceled his show in April 2023, he launched his own program, “The Tucker Carlson Show” in 2024.
The show has featured controversial figures, including Darryl Cooper, who has made statements widely condemned as Holocaust denial, and white nationalist commentator Nick Fuentes.
In his interview with Fuentes, Carlson labeled Huckabee a “Christian Zionist.”
Carlson has also criticized Huckabee for not doing enough to protect Christian interests in the region. In one video, he said: “Why not go ahead and talk to Christians and find out their side of the story? Why aren’t American Christian leaders like Mike Huckabee or Ted Cruz, people who invoke the Christian Bible to justify what they’re doing, why haven’t they done this?”
Huckabee responded to the video on X, writing: “Instead of talking ABOUT me, why don’t you come talk TO me? You seem to be generating a lot of heat about the Middle East. Why be afraid of the light?”
Carlson accepted the invitation, and their teams coordinated the interview, leading to his brief visit to Israel.
