Think tank’s fellows lash out over firing of Google critic

A group of academics and journalists affiliated with New America sent a letter to the think tank over the weekend expressing concern about the firing of Barry Lynn, a prominent Google critic, Vice News reported Tuesday.

The letter was sent to New America’s board by 25 current and former members of the organization’s fellowship program.

“We are troubled by the initial lack of transparency and communication from New America’s leadership on this topic,” reads the letter, published by Vice. “We remain deeply concerned about this sequence of events, and believe that better answers and clarity must be immediately forthcoming to assure us, and the outside world, that New America’s work is truly independent, now and going forward.”

{mosads}“Nothing less than the integrity of the institution is at stake,” it continues.

Among those signing the letter include Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times, The Atlantic’s Franklin Foer and George Packer of The New Yorker.

Last week, the Times reported that New America had pushed out Barry Lynn and his team of antitrust experts after Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google parent company Alphabet and one of the group’s biggest donors, told New America President Anne-Marie Slaughter that he was unhappy with their criticism of his company.

Lynn’s Open Markets group had been vocal supporters of the European Union’s decision to slap Google with a record $2.7 billion antitrust fine in June and has advocated a tougher line against the tech giant within the U.S.

Slaughter has denied that Schmidt’s disapproval had anything to do with Lynn’s ouster.

“We welcome this letter from several of New America’s current and former fellows,” a New America spokeswoman told Vice. “We have been honored to work with these individuals over the years, appreciate hearing their thoughts, and will work to provide clear and candid answers where they have questions.”