Kampala, Uganda | GODFREY SSALI | Former FDC party presidential candidate Dr. Kiiza Besigye has finally testified against the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) for refusing to run his 2011 presidential campaign adverts. Besigye and his witness Dan Wandera Ogalo, an advocate of the High court, testified before Justice Magret Oguli-Oumo but …
Read More »Future of news: bracing for next wave of technology
Washington, United States | AFP | If you think technology has shaken up the news media — just wait, you haven’t seen anything yet. The next wave of disruption is likely to be even more profound, according to a study presented Saturday to the Online News Association annual meeting in Washington. …
Read More »Gabon president wins libel case against French author
Paris, France | AFP | A Paris court on Thursday fined French journalist and writer Pierre Pean 1,000 euros ($1,170) and ordered him to pay a symbolic one euro in damages in a libel case brought by Gabonese President Ali Bongo. In a 2014 book called “Nouvelles affaires africaines” (“New African …
Read More »Facebook ‘context’ button is latest effort to fight fake news
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook said Thursday it was testing a new “button” to allow users to get more context about a news source, in the latest move by the leading social network to curb misinformation. The new feature will allow users to get context on the source of …
Read More »Facebook beefing up team to thwart election manipulation
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook on Monday said it will hire more than 1,000 people to thwart deceptive ads crafted to knock elections off course. The announcement came as the leading social network turned over to Congress some 3,000 Russia-linked ads that appeared to use hot-button issues to …
Read More »Burundi radio station suspended for criticising killings
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The director of a Burundi radio station said Friday his outlet is being temporarily taken off air after criticising the government over the killings of dozens of refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). CCIB FM+, which is run by Burundi’s chamber of commerce, …
Read More »Twitter reveals Russia-backed ads ahead of US election
Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter on Thursday revealed that nearly 2,000 ads were placed on the messaging service in 2016 by a Russian media group suspected of trying to interfere with the US presidential election. A Twitter statement said the social media company shared data with congressional investigators about …
Read More »Dutch website offers US ‘antidote’ to daily news grind
Amsterdam, Netherlands | AFP | A Dutch ad-free news website, which actively seeks contributors’ help in its reporting and foregoes breaking news in favour of deeper analysis, is about to expand across the Atlantic. Amid the blaring headlines, the breathless drama of 24-hour TV news, the lure of clickbait and …
Read More »With Hefner gone, Playboy’s impact on women still has people talking
Washington, United States | AFP | Playboy degraded women, it empowered women. It liberated them, and objectified them. The legacy of the iconic magazine founded six decades ago by Hugh Hefner, who died Wednesday at 91, remains a topic of heated debate, especially its impact on women. Playboy brought nudity into …
Read More »Russian group spent $274,000 on Twitter ads during US election
Washington, United States | AFP | A Russian media group with links to the Moscow government spent $274,000 in 2016 on Twitter ads which may have been used to try to influence the US election, the social media firm said Thursday. Twitter said it shared data with congressional investigators about ads …
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