U.S. Congress demands answers on AP’s relationship with Chinese state media

Washington Post columnist Joe Ro0gin writes:

"China’s state-run media companies are rapidly expanding their integration with Western news outlets, as part of Beijing’s worldwide foreign influence operations campaign. In Washington, lawmakers in both parties are calling out such arrangements and demanding U.S. media companies make sure they don’t become tools of Chinese government propaganda.

"As with all authoritarian regimes, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is organized around manipulation and control of information and ideas. Under "President Xi Jinping, the party has rapidly and boldly expanded its efforts to influence discussion about China beyond its borders, in part through the global expansion of state-run media outlets. The goal is to suppress any criticism of the Chinese government and shape the international discussion of China in ways favorable to the party’s interests.

"Beijing is committed to limiting free expression, and any partnership between China’s state media enterprises and those of democracies must take this into account, said Chris Walker, senior vice president at the National Endowment of Democracy."

Full column

 

(AP has always had relationships with news agencies in dictatorial states, including Nazi Germany  - that led to an investigation.-- Ed.)

Der Spiegel says star reporter made up material

An award-winning journalist who worked for Der Spiegel has left the weekly magazine after evidence emerged that he committed journalistic fraud “on a grand scale” over a number of years, the publication said Wednesday.
Spiegel published a lengthy report on its website after conducting an initial internal probe of the work of Claas Relotius, a 33-year-old staff writer known for vivid investigative stories. The magazine said Relotius resigned Monday after admitting some of his articles included made-up material from interviews that never happened.
The Hamburg-based magazine said Relotius contributed almost to 60 articles published in print or online since 2011, first as a freelance writer before being hired full-time last year. The reporter previously worked for other German and Swiss publications and won numerous awards, including CNN Journalist of the Year in 2014.

Spiegel said Relotius acknowledged fabricating parts of at least 14 stories, including a piece about an American woman who he said volunteered to witness the executions of death row inmates, such as one in Texas at the beginning of the year. (AP)

CBS denies former CEO Les Moonves $120 million severance

CBS announced Monday that former CEO Les Moonves will not receive his $120 million severance package after the board of directors concluded he violated company policy and was unco-operative with an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations.
The decision, which came after a five-month outside investigation, capped the downfall of one of television's most influential figures, the biggest entertainment powerbroker to see his career derailed amid the .MeToo movement against sexual misconduct.
A lawyer for Moonves said the board's conclusion "are without merit" but did not say whether the former CEO would challenge it in arbitration. (AP)

The Globe's Michael Kesterton was an eccentric "seeker of knowledge"

For 23 years, the Social Studies columnist mined an array of publications for his 'daily miscellany of information,' which often reflected his personality
Elizabeth Renzetti writes:
"On the morning of June 12, 1990, Globe and Mail readers discovered a new feature in their newspapers. It was "a daily miscellany of information" called Social Studies, a collection of information that could be important or inconsequential, but always intriguing. Essentially, it was a social media feed before social media, reflecting the vast knowledge and various interests of the man who would compile it for the next 23 years, Michael Kesterton.
 "Mr. Kesterton, who died on Dec. 5 at the age of 72, was the shy, quick-witted writer behind one of The Globe and Mail's most popular features. By the time Social Studies ended on Canada Day, 2013, Mr. Kesterton had compiled more than three kilometres of arcana, world history, scientific breakthroughs, anniversaries and odd news, such as the time Sophia Loren apprehended a handbag thief."
Full story

Mike Duffy can’t sue Senate over suspension without pay, judge rules

An Ontario judge has delivered a blow to Sen. Mike Duffy in his bid for financial restitution over his dramatic and protracted suspension without pay five years ago, removing the Senate as a target in his multimillion-dollar lawsuit.

Justice Sally Gomery said in a ruling Friday that the Senate’s decision to suspend Mr. Duffy is protected by parliamentary privilege – a centuries-old right designed to protect legislators from having to answer to judges for doing their jobs – meaning Mr. Duffy can’t take the Senate to court over its actions.

Ms. Gomery is striking the Senate from Mr. Duffy’s lawsuit, which sought more than $7.8-million from the upper chamber, the RCMP and the federal government. (CP)