Facebook and Twitter start removing violent rhetoric as US election tensions rise November 6, 2020 Facebook removed last night a fast-growing group in which supporters of US President Donald Trump posted violent rhetoric, as the social media giant, as well as Twitter, step up efforts to take down baseless claims and avoid potential violence after a contentious election. The “Stop the Steal” group, which called for “boots on the ground to [...]
Tiktok to allow MPs to review algorithm over Uyghur censorship concerns November 5, 2020 Social media giant Tiktok will allow UK politicians to review its algorithm, after MPs challenged the firm over censorship concerns and ties to the Chinese government. Tiktok’s UK director of government relations and public policy Elizabeth Kanter said members of the Business Select Committee were welcome to visit its “transparency centre”, to review its algorithm [...]
The polls failed again, and blindsided businesses are crying out for better corporate intelligence November 5, 2020 So Joe Biden will be the 46th President of the United States. Or Donald Trump will squeeze home (though, at the time of writing, that seems less likely). It has been a nerve-wracking 48 hours for anyone who watches US politics — and one of the reasons for that is that commentators and pollsters got [...]
STV holds guidance as advertising recovery beats expectations November 4, 2020 Scottish broadcaster STV today said advertising had bounced back more quickly than expected following a coronavirus-induced slump, though it warned the short-term outlook remained uncertain. STV, which holds the channel 3 licence in Scotland, suffered a 20 per cent drop in advertising revenue in the first half of the year as the outbreak of coronavirus [...]
Made in Dagenham: Hollywood real estate firm to build new east London film studios November 3, 2020 A Hollywood real estate firm that owns studios where classics such as Citizen Kane and Gone With the Wind were filmed will invest £300m in a major new production complex in east London. Hackman Capital Partners (HCP) will take control of the construction of Eastbrook Studios, a new film and TV hub spread across more [...]
New BBC drama turns spotlight on City work pressure November 3, 2020 The BBC is turning its attention to the City with a new drama that documents the lives of university graduates battling the pressures of a cut-throat career in finance. The series, called Industry, is set at the fictional investment bank Pierpoint, where five fresh-faced grads are subjected to gruelling hours and brutal bosses as they [...]
Johnny Depp lawyers vow to appeal ‘perverse and bewildering’ libel verdict November 2, 2020 Lawyers for Johnny Depp have vowed to appeal a “perverse” ruling after the actor lost his libel case against the Sun newspaper over an article that branded him a “wifebeater”. A judge today ruled in favour of the Sun after a dramatic courtroom showdown that revealed the intimate details of his relationship with ex-wife Amber [...]
Easyjet boss Stelios loses Telegraph libel case over ‘strawmen’ claim November 2, 2020 Easyjet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou has lost his libel case against the Daily Telegraph over an article that disputed the outspoken founder’s claims about three shareholders. The suit related to an article published in May in which Telegraph journalist Ben Marlow wrote that the budget airline boss was engaging in “increasingly wild conspiracy theories”. The article [...]
The Hollywood of Europe: How the Canary Islands are being reinvented as a film hub October 31, 2020 In the opening scenes of action-thriller Jason Bourne, the film’s forgetful hero, played by Matt Damon, strides through violent protests on the streets of Athens. He meets his spy partner in the iconic Syntagma Square, before being chased through a sea of blue and white flags by a menacing CIA hit squad. But for eagle-eyed [...]
Screenshot: Will Tim Davie win the generation game? October 30, 2020 A weekly column from Morning Wire bringing you all the biggest stories and trends in technology, media and telecoms This week: ** Media Moment of the Week: A sorry soy saga ** Tim Davie and the BBC’s tug of war ** The tech titans’ tumultuous year Media Moment of the Week This week it’s another [...]