The Globe and Mail Opinion The failure of local news left a gap for Google and Facebook – and caused problems for democracy everywhere Jamie Irving Published March 9, 2021 Bookmark Please log in to listen to this story. Also available in French and Mandarin. Log In Create Free Account Getting audio file ... This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy. Full Disclaimer We’re in the midst of a global crisis. It’s creating vast deserts. It’s spawning fierce battles over ever scarcer resources. It’s driving political polarization and extremism. And the giant multinationals that are causing the crisis won’t even acknowledge their responsibility.