Labour calls for review of Russia Today’s UK TV licence July 22, 2020 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for state-backed broadcaster Russia Today (RT) to have its TV licence reviewed on the back of fresh warnings about Kremlin interference in the UK. Starmer called on Boris Johnson at today’s Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) to “stop the spread of Kremlin-backed disinformation”, adding that the UK’s High Court [...]
Wall Street Journal staff attack ‘misinformation’ and ‘racism’ in newspaper’s opinion section July 22, 2020 Almost 300 journalists at the Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal (WSJ) have sent a letter to the newspaper’s publisher lambasting “misinformation” regarding coronavirus and racism in its opinion section. The letter, signed by hundreds of reporters, editors and video journalists, accused WSJ’s opinion pages of a “lack of fact-checking and transparency” and a “disregard for [...]
Amber Heard admits punching ex-husband Johnny Depp during heated row July 21, 2020 Amber Heard has admitted that she punched ex-husband Johnny Depp during a heated row at their Los Angeles penthouse in 2015, as Depp’s court battle against the Sun newspaper enters its third week. Depp is suing the Sun’s publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN) and the Sun’s executive editor Dan Wootton over an article from April [...]
MPs criticise government for slow coronavirus misinformation response July 21, 2020 MPs have lashed out at the government over its failure to respond to concerns regarding online harms during the coronavirus pandemic, calling for legislation to be introduced as a matter of urgency. Members of the Digital, Cultural, Media and Sport select committee published a report today in which they pushed the government to name the [...]
Guardian to close weekend supplements as coronavirus batters newspaper July 16, 2020 The Guardian is planning to close its weekend supplements, after the firm yesterday announced 180 job cuts as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to hammer the newspaper’s finances. The Guardian is considering closing its Weekend, The Guide, Review and Travel print supplements, with further shake-ups to the newspaper’s size also expected. The newspaper is also mulling [...]
BBC to make 520 job cuts in news department July 15, 2020 The BBC has said it will axe 520 jobs in its news department as a result of the coronavirus crisis, marking 70 more redundancies than the broadcaster had originally planned. The BBC said in January that it intended to axe 450 jobs within its news department, but plans were put on hold due to the [...]
New York Times moves staff out of Hong Kong following new security law July 15, 2020 The New York Times is set to relocate staff at its Hong Kong bureau to South Korea, after a new security law imposed by China has raised concerns surrounding press freedom in the city. The US news outlet yesterday said the new security law, which hands Beijing sweeping powers to arrest Hong Kong citizens suspected [...]
Guardian to axe 180 jobs as revenue plunges July 15, 2020 The Guardian has announced plans to cut 180 jobs in both its editorial and commercial departments, after revenue plunged more than £25m during the coronavirus crisis. The newspaper group said the job cuts will mostly affect its advertising, Guardian Jobs, marketing and Guardian Live departments, with 70 additional redundancies in its editorial unit. The job [...]
ITV to show repeats over summer as coronavirus rips up filming schedule July 14, 2020 ITV’s chief executive today warned that it is “inevitable” that the public service broadcaster will mostly show repeats over the summer, as the coronavirus pandemic has forced it to axe filming schedules for blockbuster shows such as Love Island and the 2020 Euros. Speaking on a virtual committee meeting hosted by the Department for Digital, [...]
BBC to scrap free TV licence fee for over-75s from August July 9, 2020 The BBC is going ahead with plans to axe free TV licences for over-75 year-olds from August, after a two month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. More than 3m households will be asked to start paying the £157.50 annual fee from 1 August, the BBC announced today. Households that receive Pension Credit will still [...]