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A Victory for Free Speech and a Testament to the Power of Engagement: CPAC Secures Safeguards in FTC’s Omnicom–IPG Merger Decision

  • Writer: Andrew Langer
    Andrew Langer
  • 3 days ago
  • 5 min read
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The mission of the CPAC Foundation's Center for Regulatory Freedom is to ensure that government agencies hear our voice—and, by extension, the voices of the millions of Americans we represent—when they make decisions that could reshape our economy, freedoms, and culture.


This month, we saw the fruits of that engagement. On September 26, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued its final consent order approving the merger of Omnicom and the Interpublic Group (IPG), two of the largest advertising conglomerates in the world. While mergers of this size are always reviewed for antitrust concerns, what makes this case historic is that the FTC incorporated protections for free speech and viewpoint diversity—protections that CRF and our coalition partners explicitly demanded in the comments we filed with the Commission in July.


The result is a clear victory: the first time the FTC has embedded safeguards against ideological discrimination in a major corporate merger order. And it underscores why conservatives must never cede the regulatory process to the Left.


The Issue: Big Advertising and Viewpoint Discrimination

Advertising is the lifeblood of media. Whether traditional print, broadcast, or digital platforms, the ability to attract advertising revenue is what allows outlets to exist, hire staff, and reach audiences. Over the past decade, however, advertising has become a weapon in the ideological wars.


Third-party media monitors like NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) have marketed themselves as neutral arbiters of “trustworthiness” and “brand safety.” In reality, these groups have systematically downgraded conservative outlets, slapping them with labels like “misinformation” or “unsafe.” Ad agencies, including Omnicom and IPG, then used these tools to steer dollars away from conservative media and toward outlets aligned with progressive orthodoxy.


At the same time, both Omnicom and IPG embraced aggressive “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) frameworks in their client and hiring practices. These programs didn’t just promote discrimination—they compounded viewpoint suppression by aligning advertising with ideological litmus tests.


So when Omnicom and IPG announced in December 2024 that they intended to merge, creating an advertising titan with unprecedented market power, conservatives had every reason to be alarmed. Without safeguards, the combined entity could institutionalize and magnify these censorship practices on a global scale.


CRF’s Comments: July 2025

On July 28, 2025, the CPAC Foundation Center for Regulatory Freedom, joined by the Independent Media Council, filed detailed comments with the FTC on its draft consent order for the merger. We did not mince words: the draft order failed to address the deeper threats to free speech, competition, and fairness posed by Omnicom and IPG’s practices.


Our filing made four key points:

  1. The Order Ignored Third-Party Censorship Tools: We highlighted how NewsGuard, GDI, and similar entities act as ideological gatekeepers under the guise of neutrality, and warned that Omnicom and IPG’s reliance on them would institutionalize censorship.

  2. The Order Overlooked DEI Discrimination: We explained how Omnicom and IPG’s DEI programs promoted discriminatory practices in violation of federal law and executive orders, and demanded the FTC scrutinize them.

  3. The Order Contradicted Executive Policy: We reminded the FTC that President Trump’s 2025 executive orders on “Restoring Freedom of Speech” and “Preventing Online Censorship” required federal agencies to act against censorship and politically motivated discrimination in commerce.

  4. The Remedies Were Inadequate: We called for the FTC to either suspend approval of the merger or impose meaningful safeguards—including explicit prohibitions on viewpoint discrimination, restrictions on biased media monitors, mandated corporate reform plans, long-term oversight, and restitution for harmed outlets.


In short, we argued that the draft order not only missed the mark but also potentially violated the law by failing to confront censorship and discrimination head-on.


The Final FTC Order: September 26, 2025

To its credit, the FTC listened. The final consent order issued September 26 contains several major changes—changes that directly reflect the recommendations CPAC and CRF advanced.


Here are the highlights:

  • Explicit Prohibition of Viewpoint Discrimination: The order bans Omnicom and IPG from directing, refusing, or declining advertising placements based on “Covered Bases,” which include political or ideological viewpoints. This provision explicitly references the misuse of labels such as “misinformation” and “disinformation,” marking the first time the FTC has prohibited ideological bias in advertising placements.

  • Restrictions on Third-Party Media Monitors: The order forbids Omnicom and IPG from relying on exclusion lists, rankings, or evaluations created by third parties (like NewsGuard or GDI) that are based on political or ideological viewpoints or DEI factors. They are barred from outsourcing censorship through supposedly neutral rating entities.

  • Abolition of Existing Practices: If such biased practices exist at the time of the merger’s completion, the order requires Omnicom and IPG to promptly abolish them.

  • Compliance Reporting: Omnicom must submit detailed annual compliance reports for five years, documenting its practices and allowing the FTC to monitor whether ideological discrimination is occurring.

  • Independent Monitor: Perhaps most significantly, the order requires Omnicom to appoint an independent monitor—approved by the FTC—to oversee compliance for five years. The monitor will have the authority to review reports, investigate complaints, and raise concerns directly with Omnicom’s CEO and board of directors.


Taken together, these provisions mean the FTC has, for the first time, recognized and acted against viewpoint discrimination in advertising.


CPAC’s Role: Turning Criticism Into Safeguards

This outcome was not inevitable. The draft order released in June contained none of these protections. It was only after CRF, the Independent Media Council, and our partners sounded the alarm in July—filing formal comments, rallying stakeholders, and drawing attention to the dangers—that the FTC revised its approach.


Our July comments may have been critical, but they were constructive. We pointed out the deficiencies, explained why they mattered, and offered concrete remedies. The FTC’s final order shows that our arguments carried weight.


As our colleagues at the Independent Media Council have noted, this is a major victory for the free press and free speech. I would add that it is also a victory for engagement. Too often, conservatives assume that the regulatory process is stacked against us. But when we show up, make our case, and back it with evidence and principle, we can shape outcomes—even in institutions that are not naturally friendly to our cause.


Why It Matters

This case sets a precedent. For decades, the Left has used regulation, corporate power, and soft censorship tools to marginalize conservative voices. The FTC’s Omnicom–IPG order demonstrates that these practices are not beyond the reach of scrutiny—and that with vigilance, we can push back.


It also shows why organizations like CPAC and the CPAC Foundation's Center for Regulatory Freedom are indispensable. Our mission is to bring common sense into regulatory debates, to ensure that costs, risks, and freedoms are fully considered, and to stop public policy from making problems worse. This victory proves the model works.


Finally, it’s a reminder to the broader conservative movement: regulatory engagement is not optional. Every rule, every merger, every order has ripple effects. If we leave the field to the Left, those ripple effects become tidal waves. But if we engage, we can protect our freedoms and secure victories for generations to come.


The FTC’s final order in the Omnicom–IPG merger represents a landmark win for free expression, viewpoint diversity, and the conservative movement. It also represents a victory for persistence, coalition-building, and principled engagement in the regulatory process.


When CRF filed our comments in July, we demanded protections that seemed unlikely. Two months later, those protections are enshrined in a binding federal order. That’s not just a coincidence—it’s cause and effect.


And it’s proof that when conservatives fight smart, fight together, and fight in every arena—including the regulatory one—we can win.

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