Business of Media
Ben Roberts-Smith lawyers claims judge ‘cherry-picked’ evidence in defamation loss
A judge who dismissed Ben Roberts-Smith‘s defamation case placed weight on unreliable or improbable accounts from witnesses and “cherry-picked” from the testimony of others, the war veteran will argue during an appeal, reports the ABC’s Jamie McKinnell.
A SAS witness known in court as Person 41 gave evidence about the execution of an Afghan man in a courtyard by another soldier, Person 4, under the direction of Roberts-Smith.
The judge accepted Person 41’s evidence, describing him as “independent”, but Roberts-Smith’s lawyers say Justice Besanko made an error by “impermissibly construing” the evidence.
They point to an “inconsistency” between there being multiple SAS operators in the courtyard at the time two Afghan men were said to have emerged from a secret tunnel and, a short time later, there being no other eyewitnesses to the alleged execution of one of those men.
“The primary judge added to and cherry-picked the evidence of a witness whose evidence he otherwise found to be reliable without adequately explaining the basis for doing so,” the appeal documents say.
It is argued the judge shouldn’t have accepted Person 41 as being independent because he “aided and abetted” the alleged execution by lending a suppressor to Person 4.
Hollywood in chaos as actors join writers on strike
Hollywood has been effectively shut down for the first time since 1960 with TV and movie actors joining screenwriters in a strike that suspends production of popular films and shows, reports News Corp’s Tom Minear.
Some of the entertainment industry’s biggest names are expected to hit the picket line on Friday in the US after the strike – covering about 160,000 actors – comes into force at midnight local time (5pm AEST).
The strike will also take actors out of promotional work for their new films and shows.
Australian screen star Margot Robbie, who is currently on a global tour spruiking the Barbie movie, said prior to the vote that she would “absolutely” go on strike.
“I’m very much in support of all the unions and I’m a part of (the Screen Actors Guild), so I would absolutely stand by that,” she said.
In London, the star-studded cast of the new Christopher Nolan blockbuster Oppenheimer walked out of the film’s premiere in solidarity.
AI will soon be writing the news: Reuters chief
The head of Reuters has said she would be “astonished” if artificial intelligence were not being used to report some news stories, such as financial results, by the end of the year, reports The Australian’s Katie Prescott.
Speaking to The Times as the news agency introduced a slew of AI features to its services, Sue Brooks said it was vital there was “always a human in the loop” to ensure total accuracy.
Admitting it was her “gut speaking” when she said AI would be writing some news within six months, she added: “But I would be astonished if not. We’re experimenting the whole time. We’re reviewing the whole time. We are talking about guidelines and guidance and oversight by editorial people and complete transparency for anything that does involve AI.”
AI would create a “golden age” of news, she said “because it’s freeing up brain power to be creative and putting all these tools in your toolbox to start … creating really magical experiences for readers.”
Twitter to offer ad revenue share to select content creators
Twitter said on Thursday that select content creators on the social media platform will be eligible to get a part of the advertising revenue the company earns, reports Reuters.
The content creators will get a share of revenue from ads displayed in their replies, Twitter said, adding that to be eligible the creators should be verified users with at least 5 million impressions on their posts in each of the last 3 months and have a Stripe payment account.
Twitter is trying to draw more content creators to the platform. Earlier this year, the company allowed users to offer paid subscription to their content on the platform.
Elon Musk, the billionaire who bought Twitter last October, has previously said the company will pass on the entire subscription revenue to creators in the first year excluding payment gateway charges.
Biden ‘serious’ on prisoner swap for US reporter Evan Gershkovich
Joe Biden has said he is serious about pursuing a prisoner exchange for the Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been detained in Russia for more than 100 days, and claimed the process was “under way”, reports The Guardian’s Pjotr Sauer.
“I’m serious on a prisoner exchange,” Biden told reporters on Thursday when asked about Gershkovich’s continued detention in Russia.
“And I’m serious about doing all we can to free Americans being illegally held in Russia, or anywhere else for that matter, and that process is under way,” Biden, who was completing a four-day visit to Europe during which he visited the UK, Lithuania and Finland, added.
The Kremlin last week suggested it could be open to a possible prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich, but reaffirmed that such talks must be held away from the public eye.
“We have said that there have been certain contacts on the subject, but we don’t want them to be discussed in public,” Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said.
“They must be carried out and continue in complete silence.”
News Brands
Huw Edwards scandal could not have come at a worse time for the BBC
The scandal surrounding the BBC’s most prominent newsreader, Huw Edwards, is not only likely to end his career behind the nightly newsdesk but has delivered a fresh blow to the world’s oldest national broadcaster at a time it can least afford it, reports Nine Publishing’s Rob Harris.
The decision to name Edwards by his wife, Vicky, on Wednesday night brought to an end days of speculation as to the identity of the presenter over his alleged relationships with a series of young people.
The saga has become not just about Edwards’ conduct but also the BBC’s chaotic handling of the affair at a time of rapidly falling trust in the direction of perhaps Britain’s most treasured institution.
Everyone in the UK must pay £159 ($300) a year for the pleasure of owning a television set by way of a TV licence, which helps fund the organisation.
Several allegations have been made against Edwards since last Friday, when The Sun newspaper reported a family’s claims that their child was paid tens of thousands of pounds by a BBC presenter for explicit photos over three years. A lawyer representing the young person on Monday described these claims as “rubbish”.
Since then, others have come forward with allegations, including that they’d been sent abusive messages after they hinted at revealing the presenter’s identity on social media. Another then claimed the presenter broke lockdown rules to meet them in February 2021.
Radio
Kyle Sandilands’ text to Ben Fordham revealed after 2GB reclaims radio ratings crown
Ever wondered what Sydney’s fiercest radio rivals have to say to one another off the air Confidential can reveal what KIISFM shock jock Kyle Sandilands texted 2GB’s Ben Fordham after he was bested in the latest radio ratings this week, reports News Corp’s Elliott Stewart.
“Congrats to you mate … you ****,” Sandilands texted Fordham on Tuesday morning, after the fourth of eight GfK ratings surveys for 2023 was released.
For the past two consecutive surveys, Kyle and Jackie ‘O’ have topped the ratings, toppling 2GB from number one for the first time in 18 years in March.
Fordham reclaimed the King of breakfast title this week with an 18.1 per cent audience share in the most recent survey, while KIIS 106.5 came in a close second on an 17.1 per cent audience share.
“I’m still holding out hope that you hit a 20 so we see you play with your little fella on air,” Fordham replied. “And I’m not talking about Otto.”
See Also: Kyle Sandilands promises ‘hands on’ celebration after radio ratings survey three
Television
Networks come out swinging following Bryan Brown Address
Free TV Australia has come out swinging today following Bryan Brown’s address at the National Press Club where he called for 20% of revenue to be invested in local production on Streaming platforms, reports TV Tonight.
It is calling for a balanced approach to local content regulation.
On Wednesday Brown said, of Streaming revenue, “We need some of that revenue put back into Australian stories. And I mean Australian stories. Not stories filmed in Australia with American accents. That’s a cultural death. We’ve been there.
“Canada and France have legislated that revenue taken from their countries must go into local production. In France it’s over 25%.
“A 20% reinvestment obligation in Australia, complemented by strong and sound IP arrangements will help secure the future of our industry and keep it vibrant.
“The Streaming companies will fight hard to not legislate, they are a business, and we must fight just as hard, because this is for our culture.”
Bridget Fair, CEO of Free TV Australia said, “We agree that Australians love Australian stories, which is why we invest $1.5 billion every year in Australian content. But if the Government is going to impose content quotas on streaming services, it needs to carefully consider the impact this will have on the Australian public who rely on free services from our local broadcasters.”