Some lessons from the MIT Media Lab controversy

When the news first broke that the MIT Media Lab had a close relationship with deceased billionaire and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, some saw it as a momentary lapse in judgment, and there was widespread support for Media Lab director Joi Ito. But then New Yorker writer Ronan Farrow reported that the Epstein relationship was much deeper than it first appeared — including the fact that Ito got a significant amount of money from Epstein for his own personal investments. Much of the earlier support evaporated, and Ito agreed to resign. And there were other spinoff effects as well: Richard Stallman, a free-software pioneer and veteran MIT professor, also resigned, after being criticized for comments he made on an internal email list that downplayed the impact of Epstein’s sexual abuse. To explore these and other issues, CJR had a series of one-on-one and roundtable interviews — using its Galley discussion platform — with a number of journalists and other interested observers, including WBUR reporter Max Larkin, Slate writer Justin Peters, Gizmodo editor Adam Clark Estes and Stanford researcher Becca Lewis. We talked about why places like the Media Lab often get a free pass from reporters, and why there’s so much technology writing that focuses on the “hero/genius” trope, where the all-knowing founder gets credit for inventing something amazing, even if the thing they invented either doesn’t work (Theranos) and/or they are terrible people in a variety of ways (Steve... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2019-10-03 10:50:57 UTC ]
News tagged with: #mark zuckerberg #bill gates #jeff bezos

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Ratings show WJZ lost almost half of key audience for 5 p.m. news in wake of Bubala controversy

WJZ-TV lost almost half of its 5 p.m. news audience in a key demographic during the May sweeps in the wake of a controversial question by anchorwoman Mary Bubala and her subsequent firing, according to figures confirmed by the Nielsen Co. and WJZ. While ratings can be read, analyzed and spun... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-06-05 09:00:00 UTC ]
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6 lessons I learned by doing a paid newsletter for a year

A bit of advice before getting into online publishing’s next big thing. Last year, after nearly a decade of freelance tech journalism, I took a leap of faith and launched a paid subscription newsletter.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-06-01 06:00:38 UTC ]
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Harry Potter E-Books Offer Hogwarts Lessons for All

“Harry Potter: A Journey Through Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts” and “A Journey Through Potions and Herbology” are arriving in late June. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-05-31 18:46:34 UTC ]
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Social media pages for Dominican Republic resort vanish after woman claims violent attack

The pages were flooded with angry comments from users wondering why the resort hasn’t responded to the woman’s claims. The social media accounts for an all-inclusive resort chain in the Dominican Republic have vanished after a woman’s Facebook post about an alleged attack in January at one of... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-05-31 08:15:10 UTC ]
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Under Armour converts energy to light at new pop-up lab

Under Armour’s new UA Rush fabric claims to recycle the body’s energy during performance—and the sportswear brand is putting a lot of its own marketing energy behind the product. Baltimore-based Under Armour will host an interactive pop-up performance lab for consumers in New York City... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wainscot Media Acquires Pair of Fashion Industry B2B Magazines

Footwear Plus and 103-year-old Earnshaw's magazines join Wainscot's growing roster of titles. The post Wainscot Media Acquires Pair of Fashion Industry B2B Magazines appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2019-05-28 20:57:54 UTC ]
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Magazine Media: Talking About a Better User Experience Isn’t Enough

Publishers are still challenged by digital media's limitations, but a few have found solutions. The post Magazine Media: Talking About a Better User Experience Isn’t Enough appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2019-05-28 14:20:54 UTC ]
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'Call their bluff': Shut down social media platforms, ex-Facebook adviser urges

A former Facebook adviser is urging governments around the world to shut down social media platforms until they can be reformed. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2019-05-28 14:17:44 UTC ]
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Doctored video of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shows social media giants ill-prepared for 2020

A doctored video showing the US House Speaker "slurring" her words doesn't violate Facebook standards. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2019-05-25 05:42:55 UTC ]
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A doctored video of Nancy Pelosi shows social media giants ill-prepared for 2020

Hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed a conference Wednesday, a distorted video of the California Democrat’s conversation began spreading across the internet. The manipulated clip, slowed to make Pelosi sound as if she were slurring her words, racked up millions of views on... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-05-25 00:10:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #doctored video #conference wednesday #distorted video #california democrat #manipulated clip


A doctored video of Nancy Pelosi shows social media giants ill-prepared for 2020

Hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed a conference Wednesday, a distorted video of the California Democrat’s conversation began spreading across the internet. The manipulated clip, slowed to make Pelosi sound as if she were slurring her words, racked up millions of views on... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-05-25 00:10:00 UTC ]
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Samsung’s AI Lab Can Create Fake Video Footage From a Single Headshot

Deepfake technology may be reaching a point where a single Facebook profile picture is enough material for someone to literally put words in your mouth. Researchers at Samsung's artificial intelligence lab in Russia published a paper this week outlining a technique by which a portrait image can... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2019-05-23 18:23:56 UTC ]
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HMH Books & Media Sets Indie Plan

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media has started Fast Track, a program aimed at helping independent booksellers set up direct order accounts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Alarming Lessons From Facebook’s Push to Stop Fake News in India

The world’s largest election has become something of a test case in how technology giants handle fake news after years Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2019-05-21 19:00:27 UTC ]
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Media Can Help Fight Misinformation, Says Harvard’s Joan Donovan

Thanks to globe-spanning social platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, misinformation (any wrong information) and disinformation (intentional misinformation like propaganda) Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2019-05-21 16:33:04 UTC ]
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Ex-Vice exec launches pot-focused agency with ties to Snoop Dog’s media company

Former Vice executive Ryan Archibald and Ted Chung, a business partner of Snoop Dogg, have joined forces to launch a new global agency specializing in cannabis marketing. The shop, called Gram By Gram, has already inked a significant client–Canopy Growth, a Canadian cannabis firm recently... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-05-21 10:00:00 UTC ]
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Deepfakes and synthetic media an 'abiding concern' - political scientist

We still don't know how to deal with the downsides of social media like Twitter or Facebook, let alone deepfakes, says expert. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2019-05-20 18:00:00 UTC ]
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Inside Facebook's New Robotics Lab, Where AI and Machines Friend One Another

The social network has a plan to merge the worlds of artificial intelligence and real-world machines, so that both may grow more powerful. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2019-05-20 10:30:00 UTC ]
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Banned from social media? Feeling persecuted and censored? Report it to Donald Trump!

The White House has launched a new tool that enables people to report the fact that they have been kicked off the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. The tool is aimed at people who have had their social media presence curtailed and "suspect political bias" is involved. Anyone who... Continue reading at Betanews

[ Betanews | 2019-05-17 10:05:05 UTC ]
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