NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Internet giants launched an offensive Monday against far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who is now banned from Apple, Facebook, Spotify and YouTube. The move, described by Jones as a “coordinated communist-style crackdown,” came after months of criticism against Facebook, Twitter and YouTube calling for them to do more to combat disinformation and hate discourse. Jones, whose site InfoWars has accused victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting of […]
Tag: media
White House under fire for barring CNN reporter from event
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – The White House was under fire Wednesday for barring a CNN reporter from attending an event with the president, allegedly for having asked questions that officials objected to. Reporter Kaitlan Collins was quoted by CNN as saying that White House communications officials told her she could not attend an event with US President Donald Trump and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker because she had asked “inappropriate” questions earlier in the […]
Reuters reporters to face Myanmar trial for ‘breaking’ secrecy law
by Athens Zaw Zaw Agence France-Presse YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) – Two Reuters reporters accused of breaking Myanmar’s draconian secrecy law during their reporting of a Rohingya massacre must face trial, a judge said Monday, in a ruling swiftly decried as a “black day” for press freedom in the country. Myanmar nationals Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were arrested in December and accused of possessing leaked sensitive material linked to security operations in […]
Wikipedia down in several countries in EU law protest
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Wikipedia went down in at least three countries Wednesday in a protest at an upcoming European Parliament vote on a highly disputed law that could make online platforms legally liable for copyrighted material put on the web by users. In Spain, Italy, and Poland, an explanatory protest statement about the upcoming vote came up when the online encyclopedia was consulted. “The directive would threaten online freedom and would impose new filters, […]
Annapolis mourns victims of newspaper shooting
by Cyril Julien Agence France Presse ANNAPOLIS, United States (AFP) — Flowers, a notebook, a newspaper tied with white ribbon: these are some of the items placed at a makeshift memorial near the newsroom where a gunman shot dead five people in the US city of Annapolis. The shooting rocked Annapolis — the capital of Maryland — a city of less than 40,000 residents where employees of the small local newspaper are known […]
US regulators approve Disney-Fox mega-deal, with conditions
by John Biers © Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – US antitrust regulators on Wednesday conditionally approved Walt Disney’s proposed $71.3 billion purchase of key 21st Century Fox assets, boosting the chances for the tie-up to create a new media-entertainment powerhouse. The US Department of Justice approved the deal subject to Disney selling 22 regional sports networks now owned by Fox. The news moves Disney’s proposed buyout one step closer to completion after the […]
Disney boosts Fox bid to $71.3-B to counter Comcast
by Rob Lever with John Biers Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Disney raised its offer for key assets of 21st Century Fox on Wednesday to $71.3 billion to counter a rival bid from Comcast in the latest move in a bidding war that could create a dominant player in the media-entertainment world. The move by Walt Disney Co. comes a week after Comcast, the largest US cable provider and owner of the […]
Albayalde: Suspects will no longer be presented to the media
By Meanne Corvera Eagle News Service The Philippine National Police will no longer present arrested suspects before the media. PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde said on Monday, June 11, that the policy was in line with a memorandum issued by the PNP leadership in 2008 that said that such a presentation was a violation of the rights of the suspects. Albayalde made the statement on the same day the Eastern Police District announced the arrest of […]
Facebook says Chinese phone makers got access to data
by Glenn Chapman © Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Tuesday confirmed that a Chinese phone maker deemed a national security threat by the US was among companies given access to data on users. Huawei was able to access Facebook data to get the leading social network’s applications to perform on smartphones, according to the California-based company. “Facebook along with many other US tech companies have worked with them and other […]
Ukrainian president defends faking journalist’s murder
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Ukrainian President Petro Porochenko defended staging the killing of Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko to foil what Kiev said was an assassination plot by Moscow, saying in an interview published Tuesday that it was needed to “protect freedom of the press”. “Those who criticize us would they have preferred that the Russian secret services kill this journalist?” Porochenko asked in an interview published in top-selling Spanish newspaper El Pais when asked […]
Facebook to swap ‘trending’ topics for breaking news
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Friday said it is getting rid of a “trending” topics feature as it tests ways for publishers to deliver reliable breaking news. The Trending feature introduced four years ago listed stories buzzing on Facebook at any given time. “We’re exploring new ways to help people stay informed about timely, breaking news that matters to them, while making sure the news they see on Facebook is from trustworthy […]
Foreign media head to N. Korea to witness nuclear site destruction
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Foreign journalists headed to North Korea on Tuesday to witness the promised destruction of its nuclear test site, a move is seen as a goodwill gesture before a planned summit with the United States. Dozens of reporters from China, the United States, and Russia departed on a charter flight from Beijing, according to Chinese state broadcaster CGTN which is part of the contingent. It showed the journalists board a small plane […]





