Media
Wilcox fires back as Nine apology fuels fallout
The Australian’s Steve Jackson writes that Cathy Wilcox appeared unimpressed with Nine’s apology for her notorious, and alleged anti-Semitic cartoon.
The cartoon (below) triggered an immediate backlash after running last week.
The cartoon in question.
While the publisher acknowledged the image caused hurt, Wilcox took to social media, flagging that she may later share abusive emails sent to her.
Companies
Paramount Skydance sues as Warner Bros. Discovery
Well, that escalated quickly.
In a clear signal that the gloves are off, Paramount Skydance has taken its hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery to court.
As Variety’s Todd Spangler reports, it’s suing the company in a bid to access financial details linked to WBD’s $83 billion Netflix deal.
Alongside the lawsuit, David Ellison’s group has confirmed plans for a proxy fight, lining up a new slate of directors it says would be willing to properly engage with Paramount’s takeover proposal.
Letterman unloads on CBS News leadership
The Guardian’s Anna Betts reports that David Letterman has taken a very public swipe at his former employer, calling CBS News a “wreck” under its current leadership.
Speaking on The Barbara Gaines Show, Letterman questioned what had become of CBS News, suggesting the network’s once formidable news culture had been hollowed out.
AI
Woolworths lets AI do the shopping list
The Australian Financial Review’s Campbell Kwan writes that Woolworths is about to hand part of the grocery grind to AI, becoming the first local supermarket to let digital agents shop on customers’ behalf.
A new deal with Google will plug its Gemini platform into Olive, Woolworths’ chatbot.
With permission, it can plan meals and automatically add items to online baskets, effectively acting as a personal grocery assistant.
Social Media
UK watchdog probes X over Grok AI images
The UK has opened a formal investigation into X, examining whether Elon Musk’s platform has breached the law by using its AI chatbot Grok.
According to the BBC’s Laura Cress and Liv McMahon, regulators say there are serious concerns about the creation and spread of sexualised images generated by the tool.
If those concerns are upheld, the penalties are significant, with fines of up to 10 per cent of global revenue.
Television
ACMA goes quiet as TV breach probes dry up
TV Tonight’s David Knox wants to know whether networks are actually getting better at complying with the industry Codes of Practice.
He’s crunched the numbers and found that investigations by the Australian Communications and Media Authority have dropped sharply over the past decade.
In 2016 and 2019, ACMA published up to 31 TV investigations a year. By 2024, that figure had fallen to four, with last year recording nine, the second-lowest result of the decade.
The main issue? The slow grind of investigations.