Media Roundup: Alan Jones delays trial, Warner Bros. salary ranker, Telstra's AI hub, Pinterest's big ad play and iconic filmmaker dies

Legal

Alan Jones delays trial as legal team points to clashing witness accounts

Alan Jones is pressing pause on his court case, with his legal team flagging inconsistencies in the evidence against him.

As James Dowling writes in The Australian, the former radio host is facing 35 charges of sexual misconduct, charges he strongly denies.

His lawyer, Bryan Wrench, cited newly received statements from witnesses which contradict each other, requesting an eight-week delay so the DPP can decide whether to push ahead.

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Television

Warner Bros. wants Aussies to tune in and freak out over salaries

Warner Bros. Discovery is shopping a bold new format to Aussie networks, one that dives into the pay packets of everyday workers, with the aim of stoking just the right kind of outrage.

As David Knox writes in TV Tonight, the show, The Big Salary Ranking, is a Dutch concept that's been reworked for local eyes.

Speaking at Screen Forever, WBD’s Head of Entertainment, Caroline Swift, said the pitch clicked during Sydney’s train strikes, when headlines about six-figure driver salaries had everyone clutching their pearls.

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AI

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Heidi Health races past Canva as Blackbird’s fastest-growing bet

Heidi Health has leapfrogged Canva to become the quickest success story in Blackbird Ventures’ portfolio, according to the VC giant.

As Amelia McGuire reports in The Australian Financial Review, the relatively unknown AI start-up has hit $23 million in annual recurring revenue, just a year after launching its flagship product.

Blackbird, which manages a hefty $7 billion, says the six-year-old company is growing faster than any it’s backed before, including Leonardo.ai, the image generation firm Canva eventually snapped up.

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AI job interviews are booming and bias may be baked in

Jobseekers are being screened by AI more than ever, but a new study warns the tech could be filtering out candidates unfairly, especially those with non-American accents or disabilities.

As Josh Taylor writes in The Guardian Australia, clips of awkward, glitchy AI interviews have flooded TikTok lately, sparking concern over how these systems judge candidates.

Some software struggles to understand diverse voices or body language, leading to skewed results before a human even gets involved.

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Tech

Google faces $20 billion legal pile-on over shopping search bias

Google’s past antitrust breach in Europe is now morphing into a multi-billion-dollar legal drama.

Dozens of price comparison sites are chasing the tech giant for more than around $20 billion AUD in damages, claiming it unfairly pinched their customers through rigged search results.

As Karin Matussek writes in The Australian Financial Review, the lawsuits stem from a 2017 European Commission ruling that hit Google with a $4 billion AUD fine for favouring its own shopping service.

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Pinterest eyes Google's and Meta's ad dollars with AI-driven strategy

Pinterest is making a bold play for a slice of the digital advertising pie dominated by Google and Meta.

As Anastasia Santoreneos reports for Forbes Australia, with a suite of new AI-powered tools like Performance+, Pinterest is positioning itself as a serious contender in the ad space.

In Australia, where Google and Meta currently capture 70% of digital ad revenue, Pinterest is gaining traction.

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Retail

Bunnings' profits in line with global competitors, say analysts

Bunnings’ profit margins aren’t out of line with global players like Home Depot and Lowe’s, analysts argue.

As Carrie LaFrenz writes in The Australian Financial Review, while its EBIT margin sits at 11.9%, both US giants saw slightly higher margins of 14.1% and 12.4% respectively.

Despite this, Bunnings’ managing director defends the retailer, highlighting its local job creation and community impact as key contributions.

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Business

Microsoft swings the axe again, cutting 6,000 jobs to slim down and speed up

Microsoft is shedding around 6,000 roles, close to 3% of its global workforce, in a fresh round of layoffs aimed at trimming layers of management and tightening operations.

According to The Guardian, it’s the biggest hit to headcount since early 2023, when 10,000 jobs were cut amid a broader post-pandemic tech reset.

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Vale

Robert Benton, the dyslexic Esquire art director who won Hollywood gold, dies at 92

Robert Benton, the Oscar-winning mind behind Kramer vs Kramer and Bonnie and Clyde, has died aged 92.

As Benjamin Lee explains in The Guardian, Benton’s accidental pivot from magazine art director to screenwriting heavyweight began with a sacking and a shot in the dark.

Teaming up with fellow Esquire alumnus David Newman, he co-wrote Bonnie and Clyde, a script that sat on the shelf for years until Warren Beatty saw its potential.

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