Business of Media
Federal Court to consider costs in Bruce Lehrmann’s failed defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson
It may be a case of let the battle begin when the Federal Court resumes today to consider costs in Bruce Lehrmann‘s failed defamation case against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson, reports The ABC’s Elizabeth Byrne.
The case, brought over coverage of Brittany Higgins‘s rape allegation, failed because Justice Michael Lee found on the balance of probability Bruce Lehrmann did rape Higgins at Parliament House in Canberra after a night out drinking with colleagues in 2019.
That meant Network Ten’s truth defence succeeded, despite the court finding Bruce Lehrmann had been defamed by an interview with Higgins on The Project in March 2021.
Eight US newspapers sue OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement
A group of eight US newspapers is suing ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that the technology companies have been “purloining millions” of copyrighted news articles without permission or payment to train their artificial intelligence chatbots, reports AP.
The New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Denver Post and other papers filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in a New York federal court.
This policy has retained every mum on staff
Most parental leave policies are designed to attract new talent, with incentives, benefits and payouts. Melbourne-headquartered media agency Hatched, meanwhile, decided to design a new policy to help its existing staff return to work, reports Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
Two years ago, Hatched’s leaders realised they had a problem. Female staff would leave to have a child, take a lengthy break from work and perhaps return part-time, feeling guilty, out of touch with colleagues and maybe even stressed about what to wear.
Industry insiders reveal how it all went wrong for besieged budget airline Bonza
Besieged budget airline Bonza has been plunged into voluntary administration and thousands of passengers left stranded after a day of drama for the floundering operator, reports News Corp’s Jeremy Pierce.
As airline management and administrators Hall Chadwick attempt to pick up the pieces, industry insiders said Bonza’s decision to forego traditional online travel platforms in favour of their own booking app had cost the airline thousands of customers.
News Brands
Paramount’s Hollywood ending won’t be tidy
What Paramount Global will look like a year from now is far from certain. Perhaps the only certainty is that getting there will be a rough ride, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Dan Gallagher.
This was essentially confirmed by the company’s first-quarter report Monday afternoon. The numbers themselves were fine, with the Super Bowl providing a strong boost to advertising revenue and even helping lift subscribers to the Paramount+ streaming service. But the financial results have become a sideshow to the company’s ongoing merger drama, which got its latest twist Monday with the announced departure of Chief Executive Bob Bakish.
See Also: What does sale of Paramount and departure of Bob Bakish mean for 10 Network?
Moguls circle as Telegraph, Spectator go up for sale again
Media moguls including Rupert Murdoch will once again start circling two of Britain’s top right-wing media titles, after an Abu Dhabi-backed consortium finally dropped its own pursuit, reports Nine Publishing’s Hans van Leeuwen.
The Spectator magazine and the Daily Telegraph broadsheet newspaper will both go up for sale, after trenchant and well-organised political opposition killed the bid from RedBird IMI, backed by Abu Dhabi-managed fund IMI and New York investment firm RedBird Capital Partners.
Radio
Marty Sheargold erupts after Jim Jefferies misses interview
A Triple M radio host unleashed on comedian Jim Jefferies after he failed to show up for a prerecorded interview, reports News Corp’s Andrew Bucklow.
Marty Sheargold, who hosts the breakfast show on Triple M in Melbourne, was meant to interview Jefferies on Monday about his recently announced Give ‘Em What They Want Tour, which just so happens to be proudly presented by Triple M.
“I’m supposed to do a prerecorded interview with him to help him sell tickets … and he just won’t get out of bed,” Sheargold claimed on air.
Television
Julie Eckersley departing as SBS Head of Scripted
SBS Head of Scripted Julie Eckersley has bid farewell to SBS ahead of her contract conclusion, after three years in the role, reports TV Tonight.
“Farewell SBS. I am so proud of what my wonderful team and I have achieved over the last 3 years. We’ve created a record number of shows, elevated a record number of historically under-represented creatives, both in front of and behind the camera, continued to build on the recognition of SBS dramas on the international stage, backed new writers, new directors, new producers – all in our ongoing vision to expand the power base for creators in this country,” she posted on LinkedIn.