(2019-12-05). A parody account mocked the dire state of the UK press so successfully Twitter has suspended it. thecanary.co 
A parody account has mocked the dire state of the UK press so successfully that Twitter has suspended it. The bizarre decision came amid a wave of outcry from UK journalists who found the unflattering portrayal too much to bear. The suspension has only served to highlight the increasing lack of accountability of the UK media. After all, even feudal monarchs tolerated the court jester.Max Gapes: Maximilian Gapes was a parody Twitter account mercilessly ribbing the centrist pundits of our time. 'He' made waves with a satirical tweet about Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson. The tweet reported the claim of an unnamed…
(2019-12-05). A Playboy Misrules Pakistan. counterpunch.org Unlike Western press practices, Pakistan's privacy traditions constrain a robust discussion of the private lives of celebrities in electronic or print media. However, hush-hush gossip, group text messages, and social media in Pakistan are as brutal as anywhere else in the world. As such private lives of political leaders, such as Prime Minister Imran Khan More
(2019-12-05). Measles 'misinformation campaigns' through social media, fuel rising toll. news.un.org Measles deaths and infections in 2019 are set to "substantially exceed" last year's toll when more than 142,000 people died from the preventable disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
(2019-12-05). Filmmakers Sue to Shield Visitors to U.S. From Social Media Vetting. theintercept.com The lawsuit challenges U.S. visa registration policies requiring applicants to disclose any social media handle they've used over the past 5 years on 20 platforms.
(2019-12-05). Bernie Sanders Pulls Ahead in Crucial Primary. truthdig.com A new poll released Thursday found that Sen. Bernie Sanders is leading the 2020 Democratic presidential field in California—but you wouldn't have known it by reading the Los Angeles Times' original headline on the survey, which mentioned Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden, but not the senator from Vermont. | "Warren and Biden lose ground in California's shifting 2020 Democratic race," read the newspaper's initial…
(2019-12-05). Viewers have spotted a problem with this week's BBC Question Time lineup. thecanary.co Ahead of the 5 December edition of Question Time, the BBC released details of the panel. It's fair to say it's led to some raised eyebrows. | "Manel": | Question Time has faced criticism over its panel selections before. Normally it's to do with the political balance or the presence of Nigel Farage. On this occasion, the four largest parties at Westminster are all represented. The Bre…
(2019-12-05). Investigation Uncovers Israel-Based Group Behind Bigoted Facebook Smear Campaign Aimed at US Muslim Congresswomen. commondreams.org "The goal of these anti-Muslim hate campaigns is clear—they put Muslim lives here and around the world at risk and undermine our country's commitment to religious pluralism." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/tlaib_omar.jpg …
(2019-12-05). 'Impeach Trump for This': Video Shows Final Hours of Teen's Horrible Death in US Immigration Detention Center. commondreams.org Contrary to claims by Border Patrol, "they didn't take him to the hospital. They didn't release him. They didn't even seem to check on him as he was dying on the floor of his cell." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/carlos-facebook.jpg …
(2019-12-05). Free Speech Groups Tell Court Trump's Mandate for Visa Applicants' Social Media a 'Life or Death' Threat for Journalists, Filmmakers. commondreams.org "The government simply has no legitimate interest in collecting this kind of sensitive information on this immense scale, and the First Amendment doesn't permit it to do so." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/facebook-shadow_0_0_0.jpg …
(2019-12-05). 'I watched friends being rescued': Google 'stumps' social media with jovial cartoon marking devastating rains of 2015. rt.com 
Google's December 5 'doodle' seems to have missed the mark by commemorating the UK's heaviest single day of rainfall with a lighthearted animation which fails to acknowledge the death and devastation wreaked by the deluge. | In early December 2015, Storm Desmond brought a heavy downpour, coupled with strong winds, the worst of which impacted Cumbria in northern England. A record 314.4mm of rain fell on the area in just 24 hours over December 4 and 5, according to the UK Met Office. | The storm killed one person in London and one in Cumbria, and caused around £500 million of damage in Cumbria. | Today's <...
(2019-12-05). 'If you're going to impeach me, do it fast': Trump challenges Dems to get moving. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has called on House Democrats to move quickly if they are going to impeach him at all, so that "we can have a fair trial in the Senate" and the country can move on. | In a series of tweets sent early on Thursday, Trump repeated his view that Democrats "have no impeachment case", and adding that they "are demeaning our country." …..trial in the Senate, and so that our Country can get back to business. We will have Schiff, the Bidens, Pelosi and many more testify, and will reveal, for the first time, how corrupt our system really is. I was elected to "Clean the Swamp," and that's wh…
(2019-12-05). France strike: Police in Rennes use water cannons to disperse protesters (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Police in Rennes, northwest France used water cannons to quell protesters who took to the streets on the first day of a nationwide union strike over President Emmanuel Macron's proposed pension reforms. | A video shows police spraying a group of demonstrators who are blocking the road. In a different clip, riot police march in front of the water cannons as they advance down a road. | #Rennes Charge des CRS qui repousse les casseurs. pic.twitter.com/5m3DDX9R55— FB Armorique (@bleuarmorique)…
(2019-12-05). Donald Trump, the US Private Health Giant, and Top NHS Officials—Special Relationships? commondreams.org Donald Trump pictured with US healthcare executives in 2017, including (second from right) the then CEO of UnitedHealth Group. (Photo: Twitter) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_healthcare_execs.max-760×504.png …
(2019-12-04). Academic explains why Labour's manifesto is just good economic sense. thecanary.co Cambridge economist Dr Ha-Joon Chang has given his take on Labour's fully-costed 2019 manifesto. And speaking about the need for "a complete overhaul of the economy", he explains why the manifesto "points to the right direction".
(2019-12-04). Burger King advert mocks Vote Leave's campaign bus. thecanary.co 
A Burger King advert has gone viral after poking fun at Vote Leave's famous Brexit battle bus.The advert, which appears on the side of a red London bus, says: "Another Whopper on the side of a bus. Must be an election."Pictured next to it is one of Burger King's trademark burgers.The bus has been spotted driving around the Palace of Westminster (Burger King/PA)The advert mocks Vote Leave's claims, which appeared on the side of their battle bus during the EU referendum, that the UK sends £350 million a week to…
(2019-12-04). YouTube takes down Conservative adverts featuring edited BBC footage. thecanary.co 
Google has removed Conservative Party election adverts which used edited BBC clips from its video-sharing platform YouTube.The move follows a similar response by Facebook, after the corporation complained that the adverts infringed its intellectual property rights.Google — which has owned YouTube since 2006 — said it had taken action following a copyright claim by the BBC.One of the adverts the broadcaster was concerned about included an edited clip of its political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, saying "pointless delay to Brexit", followed by newsreader Huw Edwards stating "another Brexit delay".A Conservat…
(2019-12-04). Pamela Karlan, leave my son out of this — Melania Trump shames impeachment witness over attack on Barron. rt.com 
First Lady Melania Trump has weighed in on the impeachment hearings in a rare tweet, shaming a legal expert who invoked Barron Trump in her testimony for "pandering" and using a child to score political points. | Asked to compare President Trump's conduct to that of a monarch during Wednesday's impeachment hearing, Stanford law professor Pamela Karlan quipped that "the president can name his son Barron but not make him a baron," lighting up some corners of Twitter with both outrage and glee. The comment drew a far less common response, however, from the First Lady. | "A minor child deserves privacy and should…
(2019-12-04). Another 'deplorables' moment? Surging in Democrat polls, Buttigieg calls all Trump supporters racist. rt.com 
Pete Buttigieg, an Indiana mayor suddenly leading in polls for the DNC presidential nomination in early primary states, has accused supporters of President Donald Trump "at best looking the other way on racism." | Campaigning in South Carolina on Tuesday, ahead of Wednesday's Democrat debate, the South Bend mayor was was filmed accusing "anyone who supported this president" of either being racist or unacceptably tolerant of it. | BUTTIGIEG: "Anyone who supported this President is at best looking the other way on racism, at best." pic.twitter.com/6NbCxBwC4X— Benny (@b…
(2019-12-03). How do you like that, Elon Musk? Defamation trial over 'pedo guy' tweet kicks off in Los Angeles. rt.com 
High-profile defamation cases rarely go before US courts, but count on eccentric billionaire Elon Musk to find himself in just such a predicament. The suit was brought by a British man whom Musk called a "pedo guy" on Twitter. | The defamation trial kicked off on Tuesday at the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, with jury selection. Questions that would-be jurors faced to determine their bias or lack thereof proved to be very detailed and quite unusual. | Among other things, they were asked about their attitude towards billionaires — of which Musk is one — and their views about people living…
(2019-12-02). Headlines for December 2, 2019. democracynow.org COP25 Opens in Madrid Amid Dire Warnings About Climate Change, House Judiciary Committee to Hold Hearing in Impeachment Inquiry, 3 Women Accuse Ambassador Sondland of Sexual Misconduct, Iraqi Prime Minister Resigns Amid Anti-Government Protests, Malta Prime Minister Resigns amid Probe of Journalist's Murder, Three More Egyptian Journalists Arrested, Attack on London Bridge Kills 2 Cambridge Graduates, Trump Visits Afghanistan in Surprise Thanksgiving Trip, Supreme Court to Hear First Major Gun Case in Nearly a Decade, Twitter Suspends Account of Ilhan Omar's Challenger, Sestak and Bullock Drop Out of 2020 Preside…
(2019-12-01). 'Never going to Riyadh again?' Lil Wayne tweets & deletes mysterious angry rant. rt.com 
US rapper Lil Wayne has targeted Saudi Arabia in an angry tweet, allegedly after running into drugs-related troubles with the law following a concert there. The tweet then mysteriously disappeared amid a wave of mockery and jokes. | "Never going to Riyadh again!!!" Lil Wayne tweeted shortly after his appearance at a concert at Diriyah Music Festival in Saudi Arabia, where he was one of the headliners on Saturday, along with fellow rappers Tyga and Future. | When you've won the mandate for the international leg of the Saudi Aramco IPO. pic.twitter.com/Mcu1DuBwDK— Davi…
(2019-12-01). The Usual Incoherence on Student Benefits Is Back. peoplespolicyproject.org 
Of all the welfare state topics, student benefits manages to consistently attract the most incoherent and weird arguments, and the recent spate of arguments on this front are no exception. In the last week, a student benefit dustup has been instigated by Pete Buttigieg ostensibly being against free public college for millionaires and billionaires while Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are ostensibly for it. | This has set off the usual round of commentary about how Buttigieg is arguing for means-testing while Warren and Sanders are arguing f…
(2019-11-30). David Duke and His Twitter Nazis Got Mad at Me. Twitter Took Their Side. theintercept.com Twitter doesn't care when its users are abused by Nazi accounts. But what happens when the feelings of the Nazis get hurt? Then Twitter springs into action.
(2019-11-28). The Ensuring Integrity Bill is not just an attack on unions. It's an attack on our prospects for a better future. greenleft.org.au 
workers' rights Tim GoodenIssue 1247 Australia Ensuring Integrity BillNovember 28, 2019The federal Coalition government's latest union-busting bill is not only an attack on the rights of workers to organise for better wages and conditions — it…
(2019-11-28). 'Is this your first day on the internet?' Mediaite mocked for claiming Trump campaign 'disputing' reports that Rocky image is fake. rt.com 
When Donald Trump tweeted a clearly altered image of his head on Rocky Balboa's body, the media jumped to action, confirming — not that it was needed — that the picture was fake. But one outlet took things to the next level.
(2019-11-27). "If I Could Just Look at Her" aclu.org 
Watch the journey of two separated parents trying to cross the border and reunite with their children.: | " data-whitelisted="false" data-domain="www.youtube.com"> | In October, the Trump administration admitted that in a 12-month period, beginning in July 2017, it separated 4,370 immigrant children from their parents at the border. Since then, over 1,000 more have been separated under a dubious loophole that all…
(2019-11-17). CAP's Topher Spiro Is Trying to Deceive Journalists By Lying. peoplespolicyproject.org 
It's been fun to see how the Center for American Progress (CAP) navigates this year's presidential election. For insider political reasons, they can't support Biden or Sanders. But for a long time, it was unclear who the alternative candidate they could support would be. | When Kamala Harris was rising, CAP's staff was doing overtime boosting her on Twitter and in the press, including boosting Harris's absurd health care proposal. But Harris's collapse put an end to that strategy. Recently Warren has risen as the alternative and so CAP has been working to promote her campaign, which puts CAP in the comical positi…