Business of Media
Mark Llewellyn fires back at ABC Four Corners over ‘anti-Semite’ claims
Former Spotlight executive producer Mark Llewellyn has emphatically rejected claims of bullying and anti-Semitism made by former staffer and friend Taylor Auerbach in a Four Corners program on alleged misconduct at the Seven Network, reports The Australian’s Stephen Rice.
The ABC alleges in the program that Llewellyn called Auerbach, who is Jewish, “Ann Frankenstein” in anti-Semitic text messages and said “the character in a play we’ve written” wanted to bash his head in with a cricket bat.
The program says a series of messages repeatedly refers to violent acts, with the caveat that they are coming from “the character in a play we’re writing”.
Bill Shorten ‘not convinced’ on gambling ad ban with media ‘under attack’ from Facebook
The federal government looks set to reject calls for a blanket ban on gambling advertising, with cabinet minister Bill Shorten arguing media companies need the revenue in a battle with social media platforms, reports the ABC’s Jason Whittaker.
Shorten has also used the ABC’s Q+A program on Monday to launch a stinging attack on the Reserve Bank, insisting federal government spending is not driving inflation in the economy.
The government is considering a crackdown on gaming advertising in response to a 2022 Senate inquiry into online gambling harm. The inquiry, chaired by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, recommended a total ban.
Elon Musk should face arrest if he incited UK rioters, says ex-Twitter chief
Elon Musk should face “personal sanctions” and even the threat of an “arrest warrant” if found to be stirring up public disorder on his social media platform, a former Twitter executive has said, reports The Guardian’s Caroline Davies.
It cannot be right that the billionaire owner of X, and other tech executives, be allowed to sow discord without personal risks, Bruce Daisley, formerly Twitter’s vice-president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, writes in the Guardian.
He said the prime minister, Keir Starmer, should “beef up” online safety laws and reflect on whether the media regulator, Ofcom, “is fit to deal with the blurringly fast actions of the likes of Musk”.
Universal Music signs Meta deal allowing its music to appear on WhatsApp
Universal Music Group artists will see their songs made available on WhatsApp for the first time, after the record label struck a new licensing deal with Meta Platforms, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Dominic Chopping.
The world’s largest music company has signed an expanded multiyear global agreement that allows music from its artists and songwriters to be used and shared across Meta’s global network of platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Horizon, Threads and WhatsApp. The group’s artists include Taylor Swift, Adele and Elton John.
The billionaire suing Facebook to remove his face from AI scams
Every day, around the clock, a small group of cybersecurity professionals scours Facebook, looking for the face of their boss, an Australian billionaire who is determined to take the social-media giant to court, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Alex Perry.
Like American financiers such as Bill Ackman, Andrew Forrest says he has spent years trying to get Facebook-parent Meta Platforms to do more to stop scam advertisements that use his likeness to promote fraudulent investment schemes.
Yet unlike other Meta adversaries, the mining executive has pledged to spend vast sums on his legal campaign.
News Brands
The New York Times will stop endorsing candidates in New York races
The New York Times editorial board will no longer make endorsements in New York elections, including in races for governor and mayor of New York City, The Times’s Opinion editor said, Katie Robertson and Nicholas Fandos report for the publication.
The change will be immediate: The paper does not plan to take a stance in Senate, congressional or state legislative races in New York this fall, or in next year’s New York City elections, when Mayor Eric Adams is seeking a second term against a growing field of challengers.
Radio
Days out from cancer surgery, the ABC’s James Valentine made a life-changing choice
ABC radio presenter James Valentine stepped away from the microphone six months ago after telling listeners a diagnosis of oesophageal cancer meant he needed “fairly dramatic surgery”, reports Nine Publishing’s Garry Maddox.
The plan was for him to follow five weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy with an operation to remove most of his oesophagus and fashion a new one by attaching the top of his stomach to his throat.
But as the popular broadcaster and musician made an upbeat return to ABC Sydney on Monday afternoon, he revealed that three days before surgery, he had opted for a different treatment.
Television
Lisa McCune wins Dancing with the Stars
Lisa McCune has won Dancing with the Stars 2024, defeating singer Samantha Jade for the Mirror Ball Trophy, reports TV Tonight.
SAS Australia‘s Ant Middleton came third.
A bumper five grand finalists –also including James Stewart & Nikki Osborne – performed their own Freestyle dance.
Sports Media
Haigh and Lalor eye a longer boundary for cricket writers
When Peter Lalor started at The Australian as a cricket writer, there were 34 sports reporters. Now, there are two, reports Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
But two journalists are all it takes for Lalor and his former colleague Gideon Haigh to launch a platform and podcast to capture the cricket market.
At the national broadsheet, they helmed a show called Cricket Etc. Unable to take that brand with them, they’ve created Cricket Et Al.