Regulator concludes channel broke rules on five occasions when Tory MPs served as news presentersGB News repeatedly breached impartiality rules by allowing Conservative MPs to serve as news presenters – but will not face any sanctions from Ofcom.The broadcast regulator concluded that the channel broke rules banning politicians from acting as newsreaders on five occasions involving the MPs Jacob Rees-Mogg, Esther McVey and Philip Davies.Rees-Mogg presenting news coverage as a jury returned its verdict in Donald Trump’s rape trial.McVey and Davies interviewing GB News reporters about rail strike[...]
Italy’s Foreign Press Association – branded ‘communists’ by late politician – moves into Palazzo Grazioli in RomeThe first and only time Silvio Berlusconi held a news conference at the Italian Foreign Press Association in Rome was in November 1993. The businessman told journalists he had no desire whatsoever to enter politics, and hoped he would never be forced to.But when the correspondents probed further, particularly about his friendship with Gianfranco Fini, the leader of the National Alliance, a descendant of the neofascist Italian Social Movement, he accused them all of being “communists[...]
What appeared to be a harmless-looking snap has turned out to be anything but. Though previous official images of the royals have been altered, this one could change their relationship with the media for everOn Thursday the doors of Kensington Palace swung open to welcome an eager public. Its new exhibition, Untold Lives, offers to shine a light for the first time on all the staff who have worked behind the scenes over the centuries, those stage managers who ensure the smooth running of “the business they call showbusiness” … in other words, the monarchy.It was sweetly ironic timing as much of[...]
Call for stricter rules for betting firms to stop use of promotions with references to popular culture that appeal to under-18sTougher rules are required to crack down on betting firms’ use of “sneaky” social media postings and campaigns that may lure young people into gambling, warns a new report.Researchers at Bristol University have reported a rise in gambling promotions that typically blur the line between advertising for a betting company and popular cultural references, from ET to Gladiator. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Psychologist accuses Meta of ‘turning a blind eye’ to posts she believes represent further danger to vulnerable womenA leading psychologist who advises Meta on suicide prevention and self-harm has quit her role, accusing the tech giant of “turning a blind eye” to harmful content on Instagram, repeatedly ignoring expert advice and prioritising profit over lives.Lotte Rubæk, who has been on Meta’s global expert group for more than three years, told the Observer that the tech giant’s ongoing failure to remove images of self-harm from its platforms is “triggering” vulnerable young women[...]
Pop stars, politicians, princes all seem to have the same job these days – podcast interviewer. But while these pods are great for brand-building and soft power, are they damaging the industry at large?Things have come a long way since the 2004 Guardian article credited with coining the term “podcast”. That piece describes a new format that combines “the intimacy of voice, the interactivity of a weblog, and the convenience and portability of an MP3 download”, before speculating somewhat breathlessly that “one might soon be able to make a living doing this”.Twenty years later, the hosts of the [...]
ChatGPT and Gemini discriminate against those who speak African American Vernacular English, report showsPopular artificial intelligence tools are becoming more covertly racist as they advance, says an alarming new report.A team of technology and linguistics researchers revealed this week that large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini hold racist stereotypes about speakers of African American Vernacular English, or AAVE, an English dialect created and spoken by Black Americans. Continue reading...
The increasing use of digital technology has inspired many scare stories, but is it reducing our attention span, does smartphone addiction actually exist – and should we even be feeling bad about it?Digital technology is now inextricably woven into the fabric of society, and for many of us, that does not always feel like a good thing. As screens have become more numerous, so the anxieties that we have about them have become more salient and pressing. But what if we are focusing on the wrong sorts of worries? Here are five common questions about screen time, the answers to which may help us to [...]
In Attack from Within, ex-national security prosecutor Barbara McQuade looks at the history of how lies are widely spreadYou might not have heard of Rosanne Boyland. She made the 10-hour drive from Kennesaw, Georgia, to Washington on 5 January 2021. The next day, the 34-year-old died after losing consciousness in the crush of a mob of Donald Trump supporters as it surged against US Capitol police. She would never have been there, her sister said later, “if it weren’t for all the misinformation”.The tragedy opens Barbara McQuade’s new book, Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging A[...]
It’s the comedian’s final night as host of the TV telethon. As he hangs up his red nose for the last time, here are his most joyful highlights from 36 years of freestyle fundraisingThirty-nine years since he helped to found Comic Relief in response to famine in Ethiopia, and 36 years since he began hosting the charity’s telethons on BBC One, Lenny Henry is hanging up his red suit and packing away his red nose.This year’s Comic Relief: Funny for Money will be the last Red Nose Day marathon with Henry as host. He says his farewell gig as the host of the 2024 show will be “probably the best night[...]
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