Tag: media

Digital media upstart Vice laying off ‘several hundred’ staff: CEO

WASHINGTON, Feb 23, 2024 (AFP) – Vice, the dynamic, fast-growing digital media company that gained a wide following with young readers, said Thursday it will no longer publish on its flagship website and is eliminating hundreds of jobs. Millennial-focused and known for its edgy news and lifestyle content, Vice had been among the rising stars of a new breed of digital media firms but struggled as advertising revenues shrank. The move is the latest dose […]

Florida lawmakers pass kids’ social media ban, bill heads to governor

MIAMI, Feb 23, 2024 (AFP) – Florida lawmakers moved Thursday toward enacting one of the strictest bans on children’s use of social media in the United States, sending to the governor a bill to keep those under 16 off such platforms. The controversial legislation seeks to protect children’s mental health against the “addictive features” of such platforms, amid fears over online dangers including from sexual predators, cyber bullying and teen suicide. The legislation cleared the […]

Conde Nast staff stage walkout against layoffs

NEW YORK, Jan 23, 2024 (AFP) – Hundreds of unionized staffers at Conde Nast, the parent company behind legacy publications including Vogue and Vanity Fair, walked out Tuesday in protest of looming layoffs. As part of the NewsGuild action, 400 employees walked off the job on the news-heavy day, which saw the announcement of Academy Award nominations and voting in a presidential primary. The union urged people not to cross the digital picket line by […]

Sony ‘terminates’ Indian merger with Zee

By Simon Sturdee with Anuj Srivas in Mumbai TOKYO, Jan 22, 2024 (AFP) – Sony “terminated” on Monday the $10-billion merger of its Indian operations with local rival Zee Entertainment that would have created a new streaming giant in the world’s most populous nation. The joint entity with mooted annual revenue of $2 billion would have helped both firms better compete with Disney, Amazon and Netflix in the entertainment market of 1.4 billion people. But […]

New Era University inks historic MoU with Russian news agency Sputnik

Building bridges through education and media Manila, Philippines – January 15, 2024 – The New Era University (NEU) has taken a major step towards internationalization by signing a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Russian news agency Sputnik. This agreement marks a new chapter in the university’s journey towards its Golden Jubilee. On January 12, the MoU was virtually signed at the SPUTNIK Media Room in Moscow, Russia, and the NEU Boardroom in Quezon […]

India targeting high-profile journalists with spyware: Amnesty

By Sean GLEESON with Mark ANDERSON in Hong Kong NEW DELHI, Dec 28, 2023 (AFP) – India’s government has again targeted high-profile journalists with Pegasus spyware, Amnesty International and The Washington Post said in a joint investigation published Thursday. Created by Israeli firm NSO Group, Pegasus can be used to access a phone’s messages and emails, peruse photos, eavesdrop on calls, track locations and even film the owner with the camera. Watchdogs have documented widespread […]

Outcry as Hong Kong puts tycoon Jimmy Lai on trial: US, UK demand release

By Xinqi SU and Holmes CHAN HONG KONG, Dec 18, 2023 (AFP) – Pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai went on trial in Hong Kong Monday on national security charges that could see him jailed for life, with the United States and Britain demanding his release. Lai, 76, is accused of “collusion” with foreign forces under a sweeping national security law that Beijing imposed on the finance hub in 2020. He is the founder of the now-shuttered […]

Myanmar junta arrests two more journalists: outlet

YANGON, Myanmar, Dec 13, 2023 (AFP) – Myanmar junta authorities have arrested two journalists in night raids, their outlet said on Wednesday, as the military cracks down on independent media. Since toppling Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in 2021, the military has waged a sweeping and bloody campaign against dissent, and at least 170 journalists have since been arrested, according to the United Nations. Local outlet Dawei Watch said two of its employees were arrested […]

‘Are you not entertained?’ Taylor Swift named Time Person of the Year

By Gregory WALTON, Maggy DONALDSON NEW YORK, Dec 6, 2023 (AFP) – With a prolific musical output, a remarkably bankable tour and a name that’s headline catnip, it’s no surprise that Time Magazine has declared 2023 the Year of Taylor Swift. In its annual issue honoring a Person of the Year — a nearly century-old designation whose recipients include Volodymyr Zelensky, Martin Luther King Jr. and Greta Thunberg — the magazine called music’s reigning deity […]

Hong Kong journalist group ‘concerned’ about reporter’s safety

HONG KONG, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – A Hong Kong journalist group said Friday it was “very concerned” about the safety of an award-winning defence reporter who was reportedly missing after attending a security forum in Beijing. Minnie Chan, a reporter with Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) specialising in defence and diplomacy issues in China, “became unreachable” after visiting Beijing to cover the Xiangshan Forum in late October, Japanese news agency Kyodo said, […]

News anchors targeted by deepfake scammers on Facebook

By Rob Lever WASHINGTON, Nov 18, 2023 (AFP) – In a Facebook video viewed by thousands, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer appears to hawk a diabetes drug. In another, “CBS Mornings” host Gayle King seems to endorse weight loss products. But the clips are doctored — the latest in a rash of deepfakes that hijack images of trusted news personalities in spurious ads, undermining confidence in the news media. Similar social media posts in recent months have […]

Trial begins for Chinese #MeToo journalist, labour activist

By Rebecca BAILEY A Chinese journalist who popularised the country’s stalled #MeToo movement and a labour activist were due to face trial Friday, with supporters voicing concerns for their health after two years in detention. Sophia Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing were arrested on 19 September 2021, under the broad charge of “inciting subversion of state power” — but their trial in the southern city of Guangzhou was only announced this week, according to their […]