Lawyer for CNN, MS Now and Politico says Trump admitted he banned networks from White House over their coverageDonald Trump continues to be the strongest witness for the media companies arguing that they were unfairly barred from the White House at his direction, a lawyer representing CNN, MS Now and Politico told a federal judge on Thursday afternoon.The media coalition was in court asking the judge to extend the temporary restraining order (TRO) he issued on 24 September requiring the White House to lift the ban for 14 days. That temporary reprieve was scheduled to expire on Thursday, but district court judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, said he would extend it until Tuesday and that he would probably rule on a motion for a preliminary injunction by that day. That means the White House will be forced to allow journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico to continue accessing the building until at least Tuesday. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/08/trump-media-ban-hearing">Continue reading...</a>

Lawyer for CNN, MS Now and Politico says Trump admitted he banned networks from White House over their coverage

Trump made ‘clear’ that media ban was due to critical coverage, court told

Broadcaster apologises after admitting claims against Benjamin Cohen and Anthony James were defamatoryThe BBC has apologised and paid “substantial” compensation to the couple behind the PinkNews website, after conceding that stories accusing them of sexual misconduct were false and defamatory.In a sweeping admission, the BBC accepted at the high court that a 2024 iPlayer documentary about the PinkNews founder Benjamin Cohen and his husband, Anthony James, called PinkNews: Behind Closed Doors, had made “a series of very serious, false, and defamatory allegations”. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/08/bbc-pays-compensation-pinknews-couple-false-sexual-misconduct-allegations-benjamin-cohen">Continue reading...</a>

Broadcaster apologises after admitting claims against Benjamin Cohen and Anthony James were defamatory

BBC pays compensation to PinkNews couple over false sexual misconduct allegations

Commercials once launched careers from Ridley Scott to Guy Ritchie, now automated production is cutting costs – and the chance to learn by doingWhen Ridley Scott was awarded the UK’s highest accolade for a glittering career directing films from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2008/may/31/1">Alien and Blade Runner to Gladiator and The Martian</a>, he reminded those attending the Bafta event eight years ago that making commercials had been his <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bafta.org/media-centre/press-releases/sir-ridley-scott-winners-acceptance-speech-bafta-fellowship-ee-british/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">“film school”</a>.The advertising industry has long been a breeding ground for British film and TV talent who have <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/aug/24/1">gone on to make the jump to Hollywood productions</a>, including Guy Ritchie, who started out making music videos and commercials, and Paddington in Peru director Dougal Wilson, whose credits include a number of John Lewis’s famous Christmas ads. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/oct/09/ai-threat-britain-directors-ridley-scott-guy-ritchie">Continue reading...</a>

Commercials once launched careers from Ridley Scott to Guy Ritchie, now automated production is cutting costs – and the chance to learn by doing

Lost generation: the AI threat to Britain’s next great directors

Béjar’s daughter was 14 when she told him Instagram was failing to keep her safe. So when he became part of Meta’s ‘wellbeing team’, he knew he had to speak out – and his testimony cost it billionsThe Social Reckoning hits cinemas this Friday, but the real world has already been working on a sequel – or rather, a threequel. Directed by Aaron Sorkin, the movie is a follow-up to The Social Network, detailing the further misadventures of Mark Zuckerberg and his social media empire, and in particular <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/24/frances-haugen-i-never-wanted-to-be-a-whistleblower-but-lives-were-in-danger">Frances Haugen</a>, the employee who in 2021 leaked internal documents that appeared to show Facebook was aware of the harms its products had inflicted.It’s no spoiler to reveal the film climaxes with Haugen’s testimony to the US Senate, on 5 October 2021. That very same day, Arturo Béjar, a consultant on the wellbeing team of Instagram (which is also owned by Facebook), hit send on a long-gestating <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theripcurrent.com/p/memo-to-zuckerberg-what-if-policy">email to Zuckerberg</a> and other senior Facebook executives on a similar theme. “I wanted to bring to your attention what I believe is a critical gap in how we as a company approach harm, and how the people we serve experience it,” Béjar began, before laying out some shocking statistics from his team’s survey. For example: 24.4% of 13-15-year-olds on Instagram said they had received unwanted advances, and 21.8% said they had been the target of bullying on the platform in the past seven days. Furthermore, 51% of Instagram users said they had had a bad or harmful experience in the past seven days. Only 1% of them reported it, and of those, 2% had the content taken down – so just 0.02%. This was a far greater degree of harm than the company’s existing measurements suggested. Zuckerberg never replied. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/08/arturo-bejar-interview-whistleblower-facebook-meta-mark-zuckerberg">Continue reading...</a>

Béjar’s daughter was 14 when she told him Instagram was failing to keep her safe. So when he became part of Meta’s ‘wellbeing team’, he knew he had to sp...

Why Arturo Béjar left Meta – and blew the whistle: ‘I don’t recall Mark ever being empathetic’

Users reject site’s explanations after detailed instructions for writing response to post on popular forum were publishedMumsnet has denied using AI to produce content after detailed instructions to help an AI model write one of its popular “am I being unreasonable” (AIBU) posts appeared on a Mumsnet message board.Users of the long-established forum, which is known for its frank discussions of family tensions, were vexed when the AI prompt appeared in response to a user seeking advice about a family dilemma involving a neurodivergent uncle and a sick child. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/07/mumsnet-denies-using-ai-for-content-message-board-prompt">Continue reading...</a>

Users reject site’s explanations after detailed instructions for writing response to post on popular forum were published

Mumsnet denies using AI for content after prompt appears on message board

After a windier road than expected, Paramount and Warner are now one, under the banner of Skydance, and the film industry is set for a shake-upHollywood’s big five have officially become the big four. Following a twist-filled saga that saw the century-old studio Warner Bros nearly acquired by the streaming giant Netflix, only to be outbid by Paramount owners Skydance, the company led by billionaire scion David Ellison. After facing legal opposition that ultimately crumbled, Warner Bros and Paramount are <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/oct/06/paramount-warner-bros-skydance-merger">officially under the same corporate roof</a>. They are divisions of Skydance, which joins Sony, Disney and Universal as the remaining major-studio players in Hollywood.The merger goes beyond film production. Eventually, the streaming services HBO Max and Paramount+ will merge into a single entity, though a timeline has not been disclosed. The television channels HBO, Showtime, CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, TNT, TBS and CNN are among many now owned by a single corporation. The presence of CNN on that list has brought particular scrutiny, given the post-Skydance meddling with the once-respected CBS News, resulting in a rocky stewardship from Bari Weiss, who has overseen a dip in both ratings and prestige for the flagship program 60 Minutes. Weiss isn’t expected to add CNN to her purview; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/05/mark-thompson-cnn-chief-paramount-sale">current chair Mark Thompson will remain in place for now</a>, and Skydance has insisted that CNN will remain editorially independent. But given Ellison’s chumminess with Donald Trump, who has long ranted incoherently about CNN’s supposed biases, the presence of an oversight board with Ellison appointees has been cold comfort. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/oct/07/paramount-warner-bros-skydance-merger-explainer">Continue reading...</a>

After a windier road than expected, Paramount and Warner are now one, under the banner of Skydance, and the film industry is set for a shake-up

Goodbye Warner, hello Skydance: how will the major merger really impact Hollywood?

Mostafa Sepahvand, Farhad Javadi Manesh and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori did not dispute they surveilled targetsThree alleged Iranian spies carried out surveillance and reconnaissance to target journalists in the UK as part of a plan to commit “serious violence”, a court heard on Tuesday.Mostafa Sepahvand, 41, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, are charged with offences under the National Security Act. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/06/alleged-iranian-spies-planned-serious-violence-against-uk-journalists-court-hears">Continue reading...</a>

Mostafa Sepahvand, Farhad Javadi Manesh and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori did not dispute they surveilled targets

Alleged Iranian spies planned ‘serious violence’ against UK journalists, court hears

Exclusive: 10-year sponsorship extension at a 50% premium on last agreement crowns bonanza year for live venueO2 has struck a record deal thought to be in the region of £200m to retain the naming rights to the London venue the O2 in the largest renewal of its kind in UK history.The 10-year agreement will extend O2’s relationship until at least 2038. It cements the sponsorship as the second longest-running UK stadium naming rights deal after Arsenal’s partnership for the football club’s London ground. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/oct/07/o2-signs-record-deal-london-venue-the-o2-naming-rights">Continue reading...</a>

Exclusive: 10-year sponsorship extension at a 50% premium on last agreement crowns bonanza year for live venue

O2 signs record deal to keep London venue’s naming rights

Jaafar Ashtiyeh was covering violence against olive farmers when settlers set upon him with the butts of their rifles Armed Israeli settlers beat a photographer in the presence of Israeli soldiers, hospitalising him, as he covered worsening settler violence against olive farmers in the occupied West Bank.Jaafar Ashtiyeh, a 58-year-old veteran photographer for Agence France-Presse in Palestine, was assaulted by a group of settlers, who beat him with the butts of their rifles, despite him being marked as press. He was assaulted in view of about a dozen armed Israeli soldiers. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/06/israeli-settlers-beat-press-photographer-as-soldiers-watch-in-west-bank">Continue reading...</a>

Jaafar Ashtiyeh was covering violence against olive farmers when settlers set upon him with the butts of their rifles

Israeli settlers beat press photographer as soldiers watch in West Bank

The triple release of The Social Reckoning, Musk and Artificial is less a clear political stance, more like movie studio opportunismHollywood is sending a clear message: it’s a friend of tech. Netflix is no longer a lone disruptor: historic studio MGM is now the property of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos; David Ellison’s takeover of Paramount and subsequent Warner Bros merger was supported by his tech giant father; and Apple TV has acted as a patron for multiple film-maker passion projects. Everyone, including trendy auteur-factory A24, is tying themselves financially to AI.The enormous pull of the tech industry – including its many trillions of dollars, oversized influence on politics and heavily pushed algorithms and AI products – means Hollywood is not alone in courting its wealth, but it has intensified the historic tension between art and commerce in the entertainment business. Technology that augments the human experience may be a compelling narrative subject, but this year brings a trio of films about the gurus responsible for the industry’s false promises. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/oct/07/the-social-reckoning-musk-and-artificial-zuckerberg-musk-and-altman-movies-tech">Continue reading...</a>

The triple release of The Social Reckoning, Musk and Artificial is less a clear political stance, more like movie studio opportunism

Will the Zuckerberg, Musk and Altman movies make a dent on tech giant evangelism?

Jeremy Strong’s slow-talking Facebook founder turns into a cameo, background to a thriller about a whistleblower that somehow never mentions TrumpHere is a film for all those people who solemnly deplore social media in conversation but haven’t quite got round to deleting their accounts. Sixteen years have gone by since <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/14/the-social-network-review">The Social Network</a>, written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher; this was the addictive, obsessive-compulsive movie about the birth of Facebook in Harvard’s macho-competitive cauldron of student sexism and nerdy self-pity, starring Jesse Eisenberg as the fast-talking, arrogant, not-necessarily-evil genius Mark Zuckerberg. Now Sorkin is back with a sequel of sorts, directing his own script – and now Zuckerberg is basically evil, but also weirdly slow talking, as if all the zinging, smart-alecky Sorkinesque dialogue energy of the first film has been siphoned away in early middle age and dispersed among the insurgents in the new cast.Sorkin’s jittery, funny, syncopated style is unmistakable, as distinctive in its way as David Mamet, although he has one joke about “spatula” being a Yiddish word that he <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/six-jewish-words-no-journalist-can-live-without/amp/">has borrowed from Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint</a>. It is the story of how in 2021, Zuckerberg’s Facebook empire was challenged by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/24/frances-haugen-i-never-wanted-to-be-a-whistleblower-but-lives-were-in-danger">courageous whistleblower-employee Frances Haugen</a> and Wall Street Journal investigative reporter Jeff Horwitz, who were on a mission to tell the world how Zuckerberg, scared by falling revenue, changed the algorithm so that engagement was supercharged by rage bait and hate speech, malice and envy. Facebook, moreover, didn’t factcheck political ads, thus driving a huge, nationwide surge in extremist groups and teen bullying and becoming a major player in the Capitol riots. (Having said that, this film does not say aloud the word “Trump” and rather cravenly declines to specify Maga activity.) <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/oct/07/the-social-reckoning-review-aaron-sorkin-jeremy-strong-mikey-madison">Continue reading...</a>

Jeremy Strong’s slow-talking Facebook founder turns into a cameo, background to a thriller about a whistleblower that somehow never mentions Trump

The Social Reckoning review – Aaron Sorkin’s jittery sequel with all-new evil puppet Zuckerberg

From Carrie’s bullies to Cathy Ames, sympathetic backstories have made villains boring. It’s time to bring back truly awful villains – in all their deliciously sinful gloryThe new Netflix adaptation of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/oct/01/east-of-eden-review-florence-pugh-john-steinbeck">East of Eden</a> largely sticks to the plot of the John Steinbeck novel. There are tweaks – the introduction of a wedding photograph, for example, which becomes a significant item – but otherwise, it is faithful to the book. That is, in terms of the plot. There has already been some discussion about what it has done to Cathy Ames, played with considerable ferocity by Florence Pugh. Cathy, who later changes her name to Kate, kills her parents by burning down the family house. She shoots her husband, Adam, and leaves her baby sons wailing and alone. She slowly poisons the brothel madam Faye, a woman who acts as a mentor to her and treats her as a daughter, while simultaneously tricking her into leaving her everything in her will. In the book, Steinbeck lets Kate reflect on killing Faye. She finds that she has “no feeling” about it at all.She is a brilliant, brutal character, but on television, she becomes something else: complicated. Her cruelty remains intact, but Pugh and showrunner Zoe Kazan have fleshed her out and given reasons for her fury. They invent a scene that implies Cathy was abused as a child by two men in the woods, and when she takes her final bow, the series returns to this moment in flashback, suggesting that her campaign of destruction has been shaped by a life of trauma and pain. In Steinbeck’s hands, Cathy is cold and unfeeling. In the 2020s, Cathy is more sympathetic and less of a brute. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/oct/07/cruel-torment-depraved-violence-evil-turns-where-did-tvs-real-baddies-go">Continue reading...</a>

From Carrie’s bullies to Cathy Ames, sympathetic backstories have made villains boring. It’s time to bring back truly awful villains – in all their delic...

Cruel torment, depraved violence, evil turns: where did TV’s real baddies go?

End of News Feed

TypeSafe AI raised $870 million in a round led by a16Z.

The maker of non-text AI model Jev valued at $7.5B just weeks after launch

Anthropic did not discover this behavior until over two months after its AI submitted the false tip.

An Anthropic AI model sent a false homicide tip to Philadelphia police

Batteries are now cheaper than natural gas turbines as the data center boom pushes prices up.

Batteries are now cheaper than natural gas turbines used at many data centers

Leaders from Gamma, Engine, and Google Ventures join TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to talk how to get your first customers. Register now to save up to $100. Grab a second pass at 50% off.

Leaders from Gamma, Engine, and Google Ventures join TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to talk how to get your first customers. Register now to save up to $100. Gr...

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Gamma’s Grant Lee, Engine’s Elia Wallen, and GV’s Crystal Huang on landing your first 1,000 customers

"The day your loved one passes away, you also get this honorary badge of a project manager for a project you had no idea about," said founder Sara Tashakorinia.

"The day your loved one passes away, you also get this honorary badge of a project manager for a project you had no idea about," said founder Sara Tashak...

LumenUs helps automate tedious paperwork in times of grief

Amazon says it will&#160;stop using NDAs&#160;when negotiating data center deals with local governments, following&#160;a&#160;similar move from Microsoft&#160;earlier this year. Secrecy has fueled community backlash against AI infrastructure, with opposition leading to&#160;hundreds of&#160;proposed and enacted moratoriums from New York to San Francisco. Meanwhile, a wave of startups is betting that consumers will hand AI agents access [&#8230;]

Amazon says it will&#160;stop using NDAs&#160;when negotiating data center deals with local governments, following&#160;a&#160;similar move from Microsof...

Amazon and others are done keeping data center deals secret. Is it enough to build trust?

For six years, Danu founder Amy Ma has been working on a better way to sort recyclable waste.

Danu Robotics’ fight to build a better recycling robot

"When we are drawn into even the most primitive exchanges with a relational artifact, we believe it cares for us," Dr. Sherry Turkle writes. "And we are wired to care for it in return."

"When we are drawn into even the most primitive exchanges with a relational artifact, we believe it cares for us," Dr. Sherry Turkle writes. "And we are ...

We can’t help treating AI like it’s human. But should we?

The name change is enough for Germany's transport minister to start advocating for Europe-wide adoption of the driver assistance software.

Tesla renames ‘Full Self-Driving’ to ‘Tesla Assisted Driving’ in Europe

Orkut's founder is now taking aim at algorithms and AI-generated content.

Remember Orkut? Its founder wants to bring it back

Moore sees a huge opportunity in consumer AI, particularly if the industry can tap into revenue streams beyond just subscriptions and API charges.

a16z’s Olivia Moore on the state of consumer AI

Automattic's interim chief financial officer Jeremy Klaperman has left the company less than a month after taking the role, TechCrunch has learned. Sources say his departure followed a demotion back to his previous position, marking another executive exit amid the organization's leadership turmoil.

Automattic's interim chief financial officer Jeremy Klaperman has left the company less than a month after taking the role, TechCrunch has learned. Sourc...

Automattic interim CFO resigns just weeks after boardroom shakeup

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is just the beginning. From exclusive networking events and startup showcases to happy hours, dinners, and after-hours meetups, discover what’s happening across San Francisco during Disrupt Week, October 10–16. Find your next connection, your next opportunity, or your next favorite event.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is just the beginning. From exclusive networking events and startup showcases to happy hours, dinners, and after-hours meetups, d...

Beyond TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: The Side Events, Parties & Networking You Can’t Miss

Four days until TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 starts, when 10,000 founders, investors, and tech leaders gather in San Francisco's Moscone West on October 13-15. Save up to $100 on your price. Plus, save 50% on a second pass of the same type.

Four days until TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 starts, when 10,000 founders, investors, and tech leaders gather in San Francisco's Moscone West on October 13-15...

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 starts in 4 days — lock in your pass savings of up to $100 before prices rise

Flock would not say if CEO Garrett Langley would take a pay cut following the reduction in workforce.

Surveillance company Flock cuts staff as privacy backlash grows

Xona's precision timing and navigation service will enter beta testing after SpaceX launches six satellites designed by the company. 

Xona’s commercial GPS alternative is about to go live

Together, the awardees have donated nearly $6 billion to efforts tied to Trump and his administration.

President Trump awards Big Tech donors with nation’s highest science prizes

With over a thousand emails, slides, texts, and documents from the United States v. Elizabeth Holmes trial, Extend engineer Bo Lau created a website that simulates what it might have been like to rifle through the Theranos founder's desk.

With over a thousand emails, slides, texts, and documents from the United States v. Elizabeth Holmes trial, Extend engineer Bo Lau created a website that...

Pretend you’re sitting at Elizabeth Holmes’ desk on this weirdly detailed website

Three fired OpenAI safety researchers dispute allegations of mishandling sensitive information, warning in an open letter that their dismissals are creating a chilling effect on the company’s AI safety culture.

Three fired OpenAI safety researchers dispute allegations of mishandling sensitive information, warning in an open letter that their dismissals are creat...

Fired OpenAI safety researchers dispute misconduct claims, warn of chilling effect

A fictionalized Sam Bankman-Fried is coming to your TV screen on November 19.

Malcolm Wall Media

Malcolm Wall Media

MEDIA FEED

GUARDIAN MEDIA NEWS

TECHCRUNCH.COM NEWS