Brooke Fox writes about ProMarket as a digital space where intellectual debate can take place without the influence of special interests.
Who should control the spaces for debate? Last week, tech billionaire Jeff Bezos used his considerable influence to exclude contributions not supporting “personal liberties and free markets” at the Washington Post. In response, Luigi Zingales called for a writer boycott of the newspaper’s op-ed page.
For those who contribute as guests to the opinion page on topics of economic policy I offer ProMarket as an alternative forum.
Why is ProMarket one of the best-positioned outlets for open debate? It is the publication of an endowed academic center, which makes it free from advertisers. We are situated at the University of Chicago, which has been a bastion of freedom of expression since its origins, a tradition that continues to this day.
Second, governance matters everywhere, but is particularly important when it comes to balanced media. ProMarket is overseen by a board of primarily academics at different institutions with different political opinions.
In its nine-year history, ProMarket has developed a reputation as a place to debate ideas in an intense and civilized manner. Look, for example, at the varieties of opinions in 2023 merger guidelines symposium: from Neo-Brandesians to consumer welfare proponents, all sides were present.
Finally, ProMarket is at the forefront of conflicts of interest disclosures. Billionaires distort the marketplace of ideas not only by banning some ideas from their outlets but also by paying intellectuals to peddle their interests in the form of op-eds. Introducing these transparency rules is essential at this moment when sophisticated (and well-funded) campaigns to buy influence over public opinion are ubiquitous.
Though we don’t claim to be perfect, we believe that our infrastructure and our reputation should lend confidence to both contributors and readers that we do everything in our power to ensure a competitive platform of ideas.
For these reasons, we are launching a debate on the concept of free market. We welcome everybody, Bezos included, to submit their opinions to promarket@chicagobooth.edu.
Author disclosure: Brooke Fox is managing editor of ProMarket, the publication of the Stigler Center.
Articles represent the opinions of their writers, not necessarily those of the University of Chicago, the Booth School of Business, or its faculty.
