But the knowledge monopolists have unique power in our democracy. They don’t just have the ability to pick the fate of a book, they can influence the fate of the Republic. By sorting information, they make decisions that shape our opinions of issues and politicians. Even free-market conservatives will worry about concentrations of power among companies that control the flow of words and ideas, because that power has been so blatantly abused in the past—both the distant past and the not-so-distant past.
