Concern for safety of Al Jazeera’s Gaza reporter after Israel army cover-up allegations

Since the beginning of the conflict, the CPJ has documented the killing of at least 113 journalists and media workers, mostly Palestinians. (Screenshot/File)
Since the beginning of the conflict, the CPJ has documented the killing of at least 113 journalists and media workers, mostly Palestinians. (Screenshot/File)
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Updated 13 August 2024
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Concern for safety of Al Jazeera’s Gaza reporter after Israel army cover-up allegations

Concern for safety of Al Jazeera’s Gaza reporter after Israel army cover-up allegations
  • Anas Al-Sharif accused of ‘covering’ for Hamas, Islamic Jihad
  • Media watchdog and broadcaster both condemn army’s claims

LONDON: The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern on Tuesday for the safety of Gaza-based reporter Anas Al-Sharif following Israeli allegations that he was “covering up” the activities of “terrorists.”

The controversy arose after an Israeli military strike targeted a school in Gaza City over the weekend, which killed nearly 100 people, according to the local health ministry.

Al-Sharif, a reporter for Al Jazeera, covered the aftermath of the strike, and reported that the Israeli army had targeted the building while people were holding dawn prayers inside.

His colleague, Tamer Almisshal, praised Al-Sharif online, describing him and his fellow journalists as “knights of audio and video.”

In response, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee accused Al-Sharif of covering up alleged crimes committed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Adraee alleged that Al-Sharif knew the identities of several Hamas militants killed in the strike but chose to “present a lie.”

“Of course you’re proud of them,” Adraee responded on X. “He’s covering up the crimes of Hamas and (Islamic) Jihad taking shelter inside schools.

“I am convinced that he knows the names of a great number of the Hamas terrorists among those killed in the school. But he presents a lie, the motivation for which has nothing to do with the residents of Gaza.”

These accusations were condemned by the CPJ’s Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna, who stated that the organization was “deeply concerned” for Al-Sharif’s safety following the army’s claims.

“Al Jazeera journalists have been paying a devastating price for documenting the war. They and all journalists should be protected and allowed to work freely,” he added.

The allegations were also condemned by the Qatari network, which called the statement made by the Israeli military spokesperson as a “blatant act of intimidation and incitement against our colleague Anas Al-Sharif.”

“Such remarks are not only an attack on Anas’s character and integrity but also a clear attempt to stifle the truth and silence those who are courageously reporting from Gaza,” Al Jazeera added.

Al-Sharif has previously faced threats because of his reporting, and his father was killed in December by an Israeli airstrike that hit his family home in Jabalia.

The CPJ has documented the killing of at least seven journalists and media workers affiliated with Al Jazeera, which Israel has banned from operating inside the country since its latest war on Gaza.

Since the beginning of the conflict, the CPJ has documented the killing of at least 113 journalists and media workers, mostly Palestinians.

The situation highlights ongoing tensions between the Israeli government and international media.

On Monday, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer accused BBC presenter Mishal Husain and the network of displaying pro-Palestine bias during a heated exchange.

Mencer questioned the accuracy of casualty figures reported from Gaza, and sarcastically remarked that Husain deserved the “pro-Palestinian reporter of the year award.”


Fake celebrity endorsements, snubs plague US presidential race

Fake celebrity endorsements, snubs plague US presidential race
Updated 20 September 2024
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Fake celebrity endorsements, snubs plague US presidential race

Fake celebrity endorsements, snubs plague US presidential race
  • A database from the nonprofit News Literacy Project has so far listed 70 social media posts peddling fake “VIP” endorsements and snubs
  • Elon Musk-owned X has emerged as a hotbed of political disinformation after the platform reinstated accounts of known purveyors of falsehoods, researchers say

WASHINGTON: Taylor Swift did not endorse Donald Trump. Nor did Lady Gaga or Morgan Freeman. And Bruce Springsteen was not photographed in a “Keep America Trumpless” shirt. Fake celebrity endorsements and snubs are roiling the US presidential race.
Dozens of bogus testimonies from American actors, singers and athletes about Republican nominee Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris have proliferated on social media ahead of the November election, researchers say, many of them enabled by artificial intelligence image generators.
The fake endorsements and brushoffs, which come as platforms such as the Elon Musk-owned X knock down many of the guardrails against misinformation, have prompted concern over their potential to manipulate voters as the race to the White House heats up.
Last month, Trump shared doctored images showing Swift threw her support behind his campaign, apparently seeking to tap into the pop singer’s mega star power to sway voters.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump posted on social media this AI-generated image claiming to show his Democratic rival Kamala Harris addressing a gathering of communists in Chicago. Trump accuses Harris of being a communist. (X: @realDonaldTrump)

The photos — including some that Hany Farid, a digital forensics expert at the University of California, Berkeley, said bore the hallmarks of AI-generated images — suggested the pop star and her fans, popularly known as Swifties, backed Trump’s campaign.
What made Trump’s mash-up on Truth Social “particularly devious” was its combination of real and fake imagery, Farid told AFP.
Last week, Swift endorsed Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, calling the current vice president a “steady-handed, gifted leader.”
The singer, who has hundreds of millions of followers on platforms including Instagram and TikTok, said those manipulated images of her motivated her to speak up as they “conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation.”
Following her announcement, Trump fired a missive on Truth Social saying: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!“

A combination image posted by Trump haters on social media shows a doctored picture of Bruce Springsteen campaigning against Donald Trump (right frame). The image was apparently a tampered version of a real picture shared on social media (left). (Social media photos)

A database from the News Literacy Project (NLP), a nonprofit which recently launched a misinformation dashboard to raise awareness about election falsehoods, has so far listed 70 social media posts peddling fake “VIP” endorsements and snubs.
“In these polarizing times, fake celebrity endorsements can grab voters’ attention, influence their outlooks, confirm personal biases, and sow confusion and chaos,” Peter Adams, senior vice president for research at NLP, told AFP.
NLP’s list, which appears to be growing by the day, includes viral posts that have garnered millions of views.

 

Among them are posts sharing a manipulated picture of Lady Gaga with a “Trump 2024” sign, implying that she endorsed the former president, AFP’s fact-checkers reported.
Other posts falsely asserted that the Oscar-winning Morgan Freeman, who has been critical of the Republican, said that a second Trump presidency would be “good for the country,” according to US fact-checkers.
Digitally altered photos of Springsteen wearing a “Keep America Trumpless” shirt and actor Ryan Reynolds sporting a “Kamala removes nasty orange stains” shirt also swirled on social media sites.
“The platforms have enabled it,” Adams said.
“As they pull back from moderation and hesitate to take down election related misinformation, they have become a major avenue for trolls, opportunists and propagandists to reach a mass audience.”

In particular, X has emerged as a hotbed of political disinformation after the platform scaled back content moderation policies and reinstated accounts of known purveyors of falsehoods, researchers say.
Musk, who has endorsed Trump and has over 198 million followers on X, has been repeatedly accused of spreading election falsehoods.
American officials responsible for overseeing elections have also urged Musk to fix X’s AI chatbot known as Grok — which allows users to generate AI-generated images from text prompts — after it shared misinformation.

Grok, the AI chatbot of X (formerly known as Twitter), allows users to generate AI-generated images from text prompts.

Lucas Hansen, co-founder of the nonprofit CivAI, demonstrated to AFP the ease with which Grok can generate a fake photo of Swift fans supporting Trump using a simple prompt: “Image of an outside rally of woman wearing ‘Swifties for Trump’ T-shirts.”
“If you want a relatively mundane situation where the people in the image are either famous or fictitious, Grok is definitely a big enabler” of visual disinformation, Hansen told AFP.
“I do expect it to be a large source of fake celebrity endorsement images,” he added.
As the technology develops, it’s going to become “harder and harder to identify the fakes,” said Jess Terry, Intelligence Analyst at Blackbird.AI.
“There’s certainly the risk that older generations or other communities less familiar with developing AI-based technology might believe what they see,” Terry told AFP.
 


MCN Academy fosters talent development in Saudi through program for graduates

MCN Academy fosters talent development in Saudi through program for graduates
Updated 20 September 2024
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MCN Academy fosters talent development in Saudi through program for graduates

MCN Academy fosters talent development in Saudi through program for graduates
  • The 6-month program includes various disciplines

DUBAI: Regional advertising group Middle East Communications Network’s talent hub MCN Academy has launched a new graduate program in Saudi Arabia to attract and train young local talent.

The six-month program includes various disciplines such as advertising, media, PR, strategy, data, and social and digital media.

It will combine learning with hands-on experiences and behavioral guidance, including critical thinking and problem-solving. Students will be trained across the network’s agencies in Saudi Arabia, which include FP7 McCann, UM, MRM, and Weber Shandwick.

The first five months of the program focus on technical and behavioral skills training across disciplines and agencies, while the sixth month sees students work on a project that could result in an employment offer.

An MCN spokesperson told Arab News: “Based on the quality, engagement and project output, the objective is to offer talents an employment contract.”

The first edition of the program launched in the summer and the second is due to launch in February 2025.

The spokesperson added: “The courses run continuously every six months so a new cohort of graduates will begin in February, and so on.”

Shoaa Salman Alawni, who is part of the program, said that it marked “an important step” in her professional journey by allowing her to explore different fields within media and advertising before deciding on one.

After graduating from the College of Media and Communication at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, MCN Academy’s program had allowed her to “find professional support that enhanced my skills and gave me confidence in my choices,” she added. 

Yazan Farrash, a marketing graduate from Prince Sultan University, said that she chose to enroll as part of her co-op program, which required students to work at a company as part of the course.

She told Arab News: “I have been exposed to the many fields and functions of MCN’s agencies and, more importantly, I was given the opportunity to grow in each of these environments.”

The program is open to all Saudi graduates, who can apply through their universities, job fairs, or by emailing [email protected].


X update allows app to bypass Brazil ban: Internet providers

X update allows app to bypass Brazil ban: Internet providers
Updated 19 September 2024
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X update allows app to bypass Brazil ban: Internet providers

X update allows app to bypass Brazil ban: Internet providers
  • A Brazil Supreme Court judge last month ordered X's shutdown in a bitter legal standoff with Elon Musk
  • The shutdown has infuriated Musk and has fueled a fierce debate on freedom of expression

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil: Elon Musk’s X social network carried out an automatic update on phone applications that allowed it to bypass a ban in Brazil, an association of Internet providers said Wednesday.
Some Brazilian users were surprised to have access again to the platform, formerly Twitter, from their phones Wednesday after a Supreme Court judge last month ordered its shutdown in a bitter legal standoff with Musk.
The Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers (ABRINT) explained that the return of X was due to an update of the app to Cloudflare software that uses constantly changing IP addresses.
The previous system used specific IPs, which act like a home address for servers or computers and could be more easily blocked.
The changes “make blocking the app much more complicated,” said ABRINT.
Many of the dynamic IPs “are shared with other legitimate services, such as banks and large Internet platforms, making it impossible to block an IP without affecting other services,” the group said.
“Internet providers are in a delicate position,” and awaiting technical analysis and instructions from Brazil’s telecommunications agency, said ABRINT.
Brazil’s shutdown of X infuriated Musk and has fueled a fierce debate on freedom of expression and the limits of social networks, both inside and outside the country.
The social media platform has more than 22 million users in Brazil.
The hashtag “Twitter is back” was one of the most used in the country on Wednesday.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes last month ordered X to be banned after Musk refused to remove dozens of right-wing accounts accused of spreading fake news, and then failed to name a new legal representative in the country as ordered.
He also ruled that those using “technological subterfuges” such as virtual private networks (VPNs) to access the blocked site could be fined up to $9,000.
Moraes has repeatedly clashed with the South African-born billionaire after making it his mission to crack down on disinformation.
Last week he ordered the transfer of some $3 million from Musk’s companies to pay fines incurred by X.
Moraes also froze the assets of X and Musk’s satellite Internet operator Starlink, which has been operating in Brazil since 2022 — especially in remote communities in the Amazon — to ensure payment of fines imposed on the social network for flouting court orders.
Musk reacted angrily to the suspension, calling Moraes a “dictator” and repeatedly targeting the judge in posts to his 198 million followers on X.
In the early hours of Wednesday, Musk took to X to write: “Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology” — a message interpreted by national media as a direct challenge to Moraes’s ban.
Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had hailed the ban but his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro was staunchly against it and welcomed the technical tweak which brought X back online.
“I congratulate all those who have pushed to defend democracy in Brazil,” he wrote on the platform.
 


Dubai crown prince, CNN CEO discuss 2 decades of partnership

Dubai crown prince, CNN CEO discuss 2 decades of partnership
Updated 18 September 2024
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Dubai crown prince, CNN CEO discuss 2 decades of partnership

Dubai crown prince, CNN CEO discuss 2 decades of partnership
  • Sheikh Hamdan says ‘strong collaboration’ key to mutual growth
  • CNN established its regional headquarters in Dubai back in 2004

LONDON: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai and deputy prime minister and minister of defense of the UAE, met with CNN International CEO Mark Thompson on Monday to reaffirm their 20-year partnership and commitment to the growth of the media sector.

“Dubai has set an example for the world in turning opportunities into achievements,” Sheikh Hamdan reportedly said, emphasizing the city’s focus on innovation and sustainable development.

“We are confident that we will continue to make significant strides in diverse sectors including media, ensuring that Dubai remains a frontrunner in innovation and sustainable development.”

The crown prince highlighted the city’s longstanding relationship with CNN, which in 2004 established its regional headquarters in Dubai.

“As part of this strategy, we recognize the vital role of the media sector in sustainable growth and its immense potential to drive future progress,” Sheikh Hamdan added, underlining Dubai's commitment to fostering a supportive environment for media companies.

During the meeting, Sheikh Hamdan reiterated the city’s efforts to enhance its infrastructure and create conditions that enable media organizations to thrive.


World’s oldest Sunday newspaper, The Observer, for sale: UK owner

The Observer edition for September 15, 2024. (Twitter @ObserverUK)
The Observer edition for September 15, 2024. (Twitter @ObserverUK)
Updated 18 September 2024
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World’s oldest Sunday newspaper, The Observer, for sale: UK owner

The Observer edition for September 15, 2024. (Twitter @ObserverUK)
  • “The Guardian’s parent company has announced that it is in formal negotiations with Tortoise Media over the potential sale of The Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper,” a statement said Tuesday

LONDON: The world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, The Observer, could be sold to an online startup media group, its owner of more than 30 years announced Tuesday.
The Guardian Media Group said in a statement that it is in talks to offload the weekly publication for an undisclosed amount to Tortoise Media, launched in 2019.
GMG added that a sale would see The Guardian, its flagship title, remain a 24/7 online offering but with greater global reach and funding by its readers.
“The Guardian’s parent company has announced that it is in formal negotiations with Tortoise Media over the potential sale of The Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper,” a statement said Tuesday.
GMG said the offer “was significant enough to look at in more detail.”
GMG chief executive Anna Bateson said a sale “provides a chance to build The Observer’s future position with a significant investment and allow The Guardian to focus on its growth strategy to be more global, more digital and more reader-funded.”
Founded in 1791, The Observer was bought by GMG in 1993.
“Since then it has coexisted with the Guardian, which will remain a seven-day-a-week digital operation regardless of the outcome of the negotiations,” the parent group added Tuesday.