Media Bits and Bytes – October 3, 2023
- The WGA Deal
- Is the Sun Setting On the Murdoch Empire?
- Google vs DOJ
- Amazon vs FTC
- Black Folks: It’s Bad News
- The Pains of Researching Disinfo
- Gender Bias in AI
- Allende’s Cyber Experiment
- Creator-Owned Comics: The Double-Edged Sword
- The Vital Pulse of Radio
By Cynthia Littleton
Variety
The scribe tribe’s sacrifice of mounting a 148-day work stoppage — coupled with the extra pressure heaped on when SAG-AFTRA went out on strike July 14 — gave the WGA the leverage it needed to power through its agenda. Here are the key issues that have been settled in the tentative agreement that the union reached Sept. 24 with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Is the Sun Setting On the Murdoch Empire?
- Fox News is Sticking Around By Melanie McFarland, Salon
- The Future of Far Right Media By Madeline Peltz, Media Matters
By Nick Robins-Early
The Guardian
The landmark antitrust trial pitting the US justice department against Google is now in its third week, and the government continues to roll out its case arguing that the internet search behemoth abused its power and resources to maintain a monopoly. The trial has widespread implications for the tech industry, antitrust law and hundreds of millions of people who engage with and access the internet.
By Sara Morrison and A.W. Ohlheiser
Vox
The Big Tech antitrust reform movement has come for Amazon. On September 26, the Federal Trade Commission and 17 states sued the Everything Store for “illegally maintaining monopoly power.” This comes after two different antitrust lawsuits against Google from the Department of Justice — one of which is currently on trial — and another one against Meta from the FTC.
By Deborah Barfield Berry
USA TODAY
Black Americans, scarred by a history of mistrust of the media, have little faith that news organizations will do a good job of covering their communities fairly, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon, according to a Pew Research Center study.
The Pains of Researching Disinfo
By Mathew Ingram
Columbia Journalism Review
Misinformation and disinformation have arguably never been as prominent or widely distributed as they are now. Unfortunately, researchers and academic institutions are scaling back or even canceling their misinformation programs, due to legal threats and government pressure.
With the rise in the pervasiveness of AI technology in the last year, particularly with the introduction of OpenAI’s ChatGPT to the masses, many are voicing concerns about gender bias in the technology, as well as gender inequities in professional AI roles globally.
By Eden Medina
The MIT Press Reader
By following how Chile’s innovative political experiment with democratic socialism led to the creation of this innovative technological system, we see that political innovation can spur technological innovation and that science, technology, and design were also distinguishing features of Chile’s socialist process.
Creator-Owned Comics: The Double-Edged Sword
Comic creators provide the intellectual properties that make fortunes for publishers when they get to the screens. But beware.
By Laura Vidal
IFEX
In vast stretches beyond cities, the resonance of the radio fills a void. It offers access to information, to education, and to connection. In many parts of the world, and certainly in the Americas, radio has become a lifeline. Latin America provides a compelling testament to radio as a potent vehicle for information dissemination and education, especially in rural areas. But it is under threat.