Thursday, 31 January 2019

PRESS 20 Years of anti-EU baloney

I've blogged on the topic of the UK press's obscenely farcical coverage of the EU, rendered an antichrist all-encompassing evil surpassed only by socialism in the world view pumped out by the majority of the national press.
You may have seen my posts on the supposed EU determination to make all bananas straight for example. Which sounds like a slightly exaggerated satire ... but was actually a front page story.
Now that this sewage tide, alongside massive manipulation of new media through funding that may have broken electoral law, has achieved the improbable goal of Brexit, it's a good opportunity to look back at just how closely the UK press follow Clause One of the Editors' Code ... Accuracy. As 'enforced' by the self-regulators PCC and IPSO...

Some more links:

MUSIC CENSORSHIP jail sentence for black artists playing song

Skengdo and AM: the drill rappers sentenced for playing their song https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jan/31/skengdo-and-am-the-drill-rappers-sentenced-for-playing-their-song?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Blogger

Wednesday, 23 January 2019

WEB 2.0 GOOGLE blocks ad-blockers boosting its ad revenue

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/01/22/google_chrome_browser_ad_content_block_change/

PHONE HACKING It Was The Sun Wot Dun It court told

Incredible that it's 7.5 YEARS since a panicked Murdoch closed the News of the World in the face of mainstream public fury over Milly Dowler and successful online campaigns to threaten advertisers with boycotts while they continued to place ads in the paper.

Murdoch was forced to put a humble face on, notably in his appearance before a parliamentary committee (when then wife Wendi Deng saved him from a custard pie!!!).

Nonetheless, as the issue has largely lost its heat, with advertisers free to finance the replacement Sun on Sunday without boycott threats and the Leveson proposals for a relatively mild toughening of press regulation largely defeated, with the support of the Tory government (and press!), and only the Labour opposition advocating following Leveson, it seems Murdoch has come through the crisis rather well.

He was forced by US shareholders to split the then toxic (and less profitable) print division from the film and TV wing, but this court case, which I'd bet will receive little if any coverage in the right-wing press (ie, most of it!) and therefore is less likely to become a broadcast (radio, TV) news agenda item either.

Phone hacking was widespread at the Sun, high court told https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/jan/22/phone-hacking-was-widespread-at-the-sun-high-court-told?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Blogger

Again, I doubt rival right-wing papers will cover or give prominence to this news story, which is in the top ten news stories in the Guardian mobile app this morning (so TWO headline stories on Murdoch!), but here's a reminder of Murdoch's alleged removal of an Australian PM. At least the second one he's accused of successfully plotting to undemocratically remove!

Lachlan Murdoch denies father Rupert ever said Malcolm Turnbull has 'got to go'

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/jan/23/lachlan-murdoch-denies-father-tried-to-get-rid-of-malcolm-turnbull?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

Sunday, 20 January 2019

WEB 2.0 Zuboff surveillance capitalism as Google fined 44m

Lengthy feature (but tad quicker than reading the 600 page book!), but a tightly argued argument against technotopians


And lo and behold, here's a major sign of governmental concern and fightback against the FAANGS ( Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google, Spotify) seizing of user data, the surveillance that Zuboff warns of. No surprise that this comes from Europe - France has fined Google e44m. As Google's breaches are ongoing that could rise to 4% of global revenue, so the already record 44m fine could eventually rise to 4bn!
Google fined record £44m by French data protection watchdog.

Rupert Murdoch will be rather pleased with this - he continues to complain bitterly about (especially) Facebook and Google's use of and profiting from his print media.

Sunday, 13 January 2019

WEAK IPSO The Rock says Star made up front page quotes

Getting to the (Rock) bottom of this, the performer's response to seeing what he asserts are made up quotes on the Daily Star's front page was not to contact IPSO ... but to release a short video rebuttal through his social media platforms (specifically a video on his Instagram).

It's hard to argue against the notion that social media can be more effective than the formal regulator: Johnson's version is now very widely known, as opposed to a small correction buried somewhere inside months later.