Category: Media & Big Tech

Facebook’s Zuckerberg Responds to Cage Match Challenge From Twitter’s Musk

Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, the owners of competing social media platforms, could soon get into a cage match if their talk on social media is to be believed. Zuckerberg—who co-founded Facebook and whose Meta Platforms Inc. owns Instagram—has reportedly been preparing a new social media platform to compete with Twitter. Musk, who bought out…


Defamation Case Against New York Times, Taylor Lorenz Moves to Discovery

A defamation case against the New York Times and one of its former journalists is moving to discovery after a judge rejected the paper’s bid to have the litigation dismissed. Though most of the complaint was thrown out, businesswoman Ariadna Jacob provided sufficient evidence to survive the motion to dismiss regarding a statement that claimed…


Moscow Court Rules US Journalist Evan Gershkovich Must Stay in Jail Until Late August

MOSCOW—A Moscow court on Thursday ruled that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich must remain in jail on espionage charges until at least late August, rejecting the American journalist’s appeal to be released. The 31-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested in late March while on a reporting trip. A Moscow court ruled last month to keep…


Musk’s Twitter Threatened With $700,000 Daily Fine Unless It Tackles ‘Hate Speech’

Australia’s eSafety commissioner has issued Elon Musk’s Twitter with a legal notice to explain what it is doing to tackle hate speech on its platform. The commissioner says it has received “more complaints about online hate on Twitter in the past 12 months” than any other platform and alleges an “increasing number” of reports of…


Consumer Groups Call on Washington and Brussels to Regulate AI Tech

A coalition of consumer advocacy groups in the European Union and the United States called on their governments to develop regulations for generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology. These groups are concerned about AI tech that power tools like ChatGPT are developing so quickly that consumers’ rights may be grievously harmed if state regulators fail to get involved….


Google Hit With Lawsuit Over Monopoly Allegations

Google and its parent company Alphabet have been sued by the publisher of USA Today over allegations that the tech giant abused its dominant position in the advertising technology market. Gannett Co., which owns over 500 digital news and media brands, said in a complaint filed Tuesday that Google’s monopolistic control of how publishers sell…


Progressive Leaders Encouraged to Buy Media Outlets for Boosting Influence Over Americans: Report

A recent report released by idealogues is pushing progressive leaders in the United States toward buying or collaborating with media outlets and influence channels in order to counter the supposed dominance of conservative media in the country. The June 2023 report (pdf) characterized the demise of left-wing outlets like BuzzFeed News and the bankruptcy of…


AI ‘Bias and Prejudice’ Is the Theme at Upcoming Biden Meeting in Silicon Valley

President Joe Biden will meet with activists, academics, and tech executives on June 20 to discuss artificial intelligence. The latest of many recent Biden AI moves, it’s another signal of his administration’s continued focus on race and “algorithmic discrimination” in its attempts to control the evolution of the burgeoning technology. In a June 19 statement…


Christian Church Buys Disney’s Last Radio Station

The Walt Disney Company has sold its last radio station, KRDC, to religious broadcaster Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa for $5 million. Disney filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to transfer the radio station’s license to the religious broadcaster on Monday, reported The Desk. The purchase puts Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa into the AM radio…


Artificial Intelligence to Replace Editors in Radical German Media Shakeup

Artificial intelligence will step in for a swathe of editorial roles as part of an overhaul of Germany’s largest newspaper title, Bild. The tabloid publication is undergoing a significant shakeup of its operations following a pledge from the publisher, Mathias Döpfner, to make the brand “digital only.” On June 19, the German publishing company that owns…