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Media Beat: July 30, 2020 | FYIMusicNews – FYI Music News

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Ontario court approves NordStar takeover of Toronto Star publisher

The $60-million bid, submitted through Bitove and Rivett’s company NordStar Capital, got the thumbs-up from Superior Court Justice Cory Gilmore following a brief “fairness hearing” last Thursday.

“I find that the arrangement is fair and reasonable and should be approved by this court,” said Gilmore in her decision released via email late Monday night.

Gilmore rejected arguments from competing bidder Canadian Modern Media Holdings that Torstar’s board had stopped negotiating with CMMH after receiving its first bid, which was subsequently topped by NordStar’s final offer of 74 cents per share. – Josh Rubin, The Star

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The Torstar sale will have a lasting impact on Canada

Two groups have been battling over the future of Torstar Corp., the owner of the Toronto Star. One seems to have reigned supreme in the courts after Ontario’s Superior Court Justice Cory Gilmore ruled in support of a bid by private equity firm NordStar Capital, which is favoured by those in control of the paper. But, as Yogi Berra noted, it’s not over until it’s over, given that the other bidder, Canadian Modern Media Holdings, is going to appeal the decision. So, what’s the big deal? What’s at stake? – Charles Pascal, The Globe and Mail

Monica Song replaces Peter Grant as broadcast arbitrator

Dentons communications law and regulatory partner Monica Song has succeeded Peter Grant, following the latter’s retirement in April.

The chair of Dentons Canada’s communications law practice and head of its federal regulatory group in Ottawa, Monica Song, has been elected as the new broadcasting arbitrator following a unanimous vote by the registered political parties in the House of Commons of Canada.

The broadcasting arbitrator oversees the allocation of free and paid-for broadcasting time to registered political parties, as well as formulating and disseminating guidance and hearing disputes.

Song succeeds Peter Grant, past chair of Toronto-headquartered McCarthy Tétrault’s technology, communications and intellectual property (IP) practice, who served in the role from 1993 until his retirement in April. – Media release

Marie Slaight endows Aussie community FM with Allan Slaight broadcast studio

Thanks to the donations of Sydney-based Marie Slaight, Eastside Radio 89.7FM’s new broadcast studio is being named The Allan Slaight Studio. In a statement, Eastside Managing Director Tony Smythe says: “We look forward to a long relationship between the station, Marie Slaight and The Allan Slaight Studio and are grateful for the opportunities (Allan’s) lifetime contributions to media now affords the future of our community radio station, an established cultural icon.”

Ontario Newspaper Award winners

Each year since 1953, the ONA honours the best journalism produced by reporters, photographers, videographers, graphic artists and editors at three dozen newspapers. The awards, originally planned for the spring but delayed due to the pandemic, were unveiled virtually on Friday.

Entertainment stock growth during lockdown

The period between 4/1 and 6/30 is Q2 on the calendar, but it represents three months of business not as usual.  Entertainment companies are announcing their results this week and next for the period greatly affected by COVID-19-related lockdowns.  While we wait to see how companies fared, here’s a look at how stock prices have—perhaps surprisingly—risen during the period… – Hits Daily Double

 

An open letter to the ad community from Nielsen’s Brad Kelly

…Shifting from exclusively utilizing social media to a radio/TV mix, has noteworthy implications: The reach footprint of the campaign almost doubles.  Gross impressions nearly triple and CPMs are cut by 60%.  All with the same $1M ad budget. – Radio Ink

WE’s history with Beijing, from endorsements in People’s Daily to appearances at Chinese embassy

WE flatly denies having become cozy with Beijing authorities, or that China’s abysmal human-rights record calls into question its involvement in the country. – Tom Blackwell, Postmedia

Hockey’s back, and here’s how you can expect broadcasts to change

When the puck drops Tuesday for exhibition games and on Saturday for the official start of play, it’ll usher in this strange new era of bubble hockey that’s about to become our new normal – for now, anyway. – Emily Sadler, Sportsnet

Olympics use Nazi propaganda video in promotional tweet

In a controversial move intended to promote the postponed Olympic Games, originally planned to take place in Tokyo this summer, the athletic organization tweeted a promotional video that included footage from Leni Riefenstahl’s Nazi propaganda movie Olympia documenting the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The video also included film of other past Olympics, including the 1920 Antwerpen, the 1928 Amsterdam and the 1932 Los Angeles games. Following internet outrage, the tweet was deleted. – Daniel Nisinman, The Jerusalem Post

eMarketer: Global Ad spend

Note: Includes digital (desktop/laptop, mobile and other internet-connected devices), directories, magazines, newspapers, out-of-home, radio and TV. Excludes Hong Kong. Source: eMarketer, June 2020

Why is modern music so awful? A scientific assessment

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We need to brace for a 2020 without movie theatres

At the beginning of March, there were 50 titles from major Hollywood studios that were dated for release in 2020. As of Friday morning, it was down to 19. We can only expect that number to shrink as studios take a hard look at the reality on the ground and decide on the few strategies available to them. – Barry Hertz, The Globe & Mail (subscription)

Edward Snowden: The age of mass surveillance will not last forever

”… No technology, and no individual, will ever be enough on their own to curtail for long the abuses of our weary giants, with their politics of exclusion and protocols of violence. This is the part of the story that matters: that what begins with the individual persists in the communal.” – Edward Snowden, Wired

Noteworthy

50-percent of new CBC hires for executive and senior management positions will be Indigenous people, visible minorities or people with disabilities

Why Facebook helps authoritarians steal elections and sow hatred

How podcasting became a multi-billion dollar industry

– Spotify podcast consumption doubles as overall listening recovers

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Social media lawsuit launched by Ontario school boards

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Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against multiple social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.

The school boards, including three in the Greater Toronto Area, have launched lawsuits seeking $4.5 billion in damages against Snapchat, TikTok, and Meta, the owner of both Facebook and Instagram, for creating products that they allege negligently interfere with student learning and have caused “widespread disruption to the education system.”

But at an unrelated news conference in Ottawa on Friday, Ford said that he “disagrees” with the legal action and worries it could take the focus away from “the core values of education.”

“Let’s focus on math, reading and writing. That is what we need to do, put all the resources into the kids,” he said. “What are they spending lawyers fees to go after these massive companies that have endless cash to fight this? Let’s focus on the kids, not this other nonsense that they are looking to fight in court.”

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Four separate but similar statements of claim were filed in Ontario’s Superior Court of JusticSocial media lawsuit launched by Ontario school boards pervasive problems such as distraction, social withdrawal, cyberbullying, a rapid escalation of aggression, and mental health challenges,” Colleen Russell-Rawlins, the director of education with the Toronto District School Board, said in a news release issued Thursday.

“It is imperative that we take steps to ensure the well-being of our youth. We are calling for measures to be implemented to mitigate these harms and prioritize the mental health and academic success of our future generation.”

The school boards are represented by Toronto-based law firm Neinstein LLP and the news release states that school boards “will not be responsible for any costs related to the lawsuit unless a successful outcome is reached.”

These lawsuits come as hundreds of school districts in the United States file similar suits.

“A strong education system is the foundation of our society and our community. Social media products and the changes in behaviour, judgement and attention that they cause pose a threat to that system and to the student population our schools serve,” Duncan Embury, the head of litigation at Neinstein LLP, said in the new release.

“We are proud to support our schools and students in this litigation with the goal of holding social media giants accountable and creating meaningful change.”

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Ontario school boards sue social media giants for $4.5B

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Four major Ontario school boards are taking some of the largest social media companies to court over their products, alleging the way they’re designed has negatively rewired the way children think, behave and learn and disrupted the way schools operate.

The public district school boards of Toronto, Peel and Ottawa-Carleton, along with Toronto’s Catholic counterpart, are looking for about $4.5 billion in total damages from Meta Platforms Inc., Snap Inc. and ByteDance Ltd., which operate the platforms Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok respectively, according to separate but similar statements of claim filed Wednesday.

“These social media companies … have knowingly created a product that is addictive and marketed to kids,” said Rachel Chernos Lin, the chair of the Toronto District School Board, on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning on Thursday.

“We need them to be held accountable and we need them to create safer products.”

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Social media giants ‘knowingly’ harming children, TDSB chair says in wake of lawsuit

3 hours ago

Duration 5:53

Four of Ontario’s largest school boards, including the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), have launched lawsuits against social media giants behind Meta, Snapchat and TikTok for allegedly causing harm to students. Metro Morning host David Common spoke with TDSB chair Rachel Chernos Lin about the action.

The allegations have yet to be proven in court, and there is no set date for when they will be heard. CBC Toronto has reached out to the companies named for comment.

The school boards, speaking under a new coalition called Schools for Social Media Change, allege students are experiencing an “attention, learning, and mental health crisis” because of “prolific and compulsive use of social media products,” in a news release.

They allege the platforms facilitate and promote cyberbullying, harassment, hate speech and misinformation, and have a part in escalating physical violence and conflicts in schools, according to the statements of claim.

They also argue these apps are “purposefully designed” to deliver harmful content to students dealing with topics such as suicidal ideation, drugs, self-harm, alcohol, eating disorders, hate speech and sex — particularly content encouraging “non-consensual” sexual activity.

Trying to respond to those problems has caused “massive strains” on the boards’ funds, including in additional mental health programming and staff, IT costs and administrative resources, the release says. The boards call on the social media giants to “remediate” the costs to the larger education system and redesign their products to keep students safe.

Lawsuit may be first of its kind in Canada

Hundreds of school boards in the United States, along with some states, have launched similar lawsuits against social media companies.

Last fall, over 30 states accused Meta Platforms Inc. of harming young people’s mental health and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing features on Instagram and Facebook that cause children to be addicted to its platforms.

In an email, a spokesperson for Snap said Snapchat was “intentionally designed to be different from traditional social media.”

“Snapchat opens directly to a camera — rather than a feed of content — and has no traditional public likes or comments. While we will always have more work to do, we feel good about the role Snapchat plays in helping close friends feel connected, happy and prepared as they face the many challenges of adolescence.”

What social media scrolling is doing to kids’ brains

5 months ago

Duration 7:52

With most children and teenagers spending hours a day on a smartphone, CBC’s Christine Birak breaks down what research shows about how using social media is changing kids’ behaviour, if it’s rewiring their brains and what can be done about it.

Neinstein LLP, a Toronto-based firm, is representing the school boards. The boards will not be responsible for any costs related to the suit unless a successful outcome is reached, the release says.

Duncan Embury, a partner and head of litigation at Neinstein, told CBC News the named companies are “mainly responsible” for the social media products that kids use, and share “common” designs or algorithms that lead to “problematic use.”

To his knowledge, this is the first case of its kind in Canada.

“Based on what we’re seeing and what we’re hearing from our educators, I think this is a problem that is pervasive across our system and I wouldn’t be surprised if there [were] more boards that took this step,” said Embury.

Ford ‘disagrees’ with move

At an unrelated news conference on Thursday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he “disagrees” with the schools boards’ lawsuits.

“What are they spending on lawyer fees to go after these massive companies that have endless cash to fight this? Let’s focus on the kids, not about this other nonsense that they’re looking to fight in court,” he said.

WATCH | Ford disagrees with school board lawsuits against social media companies:

Ford disagrees with school board lawsuits against social media companies

2 hours ago

Duration 0:41

Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded to news Thursday that four major school boards in the province are suing some of the largest social media companies over alleged harm to young people, saying he disagrees with the boards’ action. “Let’s focus on the kids, not about this other nonsense,” he told reporters.

CBC News spoke to parents with children who attend schools in the Toronto District School Board. While they all agree social media apps are a problem, they differ in what approach they think should be used to regulate them.

“Just take the phones away,” said Gillian Henderson.

“I don’t think we need to sue anybody, that seems like a long, expensive process. Just take away their phones in class and give them back to them when they need them.”

The board has recently moved to develop a policy to limit cellphone use in classrooms, which includes potential phone bans and social media restrictions. It previously said staff had problems enforcing policies stating students should only use phones for educational purposes only.

Two separate pictures of a woman and a man shown together.
Gillian Henderson and Shyon Baumann have children who attend schools in the Toronto District School Board. Henderson thinks schools should take students’ phones away in class, while Baumann says it may be helpful to force tech giants to decrease harm from their apps through the court system. (Paul Smith/CBC)

Shyon Baumann said school boards could use some help in reducing screen time.

“If the school boards can do what they can trying to police it, that would be great. But it would be also great if the app creators did what they could to make the harms decrease,” he said.

“If they’re not going to make voluntary changes, then maybe doing it through the courts is the most effective way.”

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Five of the best books about social media – The Guardian

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From Covid conspiracy theories to recent speculations about Catherine, Princess of Wales, social media is at the heart of how we share information, and misinformation, with one another in the 21st century. For those who want to have a better understanding of social media and how it affects us, here are a selection of titles that explore how we consume, share, and manipulate information on social media platforms.


So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson

Journalist and author Jon Ronson argues we live in “a great renaissance of public shaming”, and this book tracks down some of the many victims of online shaming to understand what happened to them as a result. In the process, we learn about Ronson’s own values, question our own, and figure out how we’ve reached a time where an online feed can become a social courtroom.


Doppelganger by Naomi Klein

After getting repeatedly mistaken for feminist-turned-conspiracy-theorist Naomi Wolf online, and then in real life, Naomi Klein penned Doppelganger as an earnest and introspective look at herself. The book explores how conspiracy theories and lies spread quickly through the internet, and how the social and political climate of the physical world manipulates the way we experience online platforms. While not exclusively about social media, the story behind Doppelganger is a perfect case of the ways our digital lives and identities intersect with what we experience in reality – and how dangerous the repercussions of spreading online lies can be.

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Irresistible by Adam Alter

Have you ever wondered why you can’t stop scrolling on your TikTok “for you” page, or obsessing over how many likes you got on a recent Facebook post? You’re not alone, and Adam Alter’s book explores why we get sucked into the digital world. He answers what makes an online addiction, whether it be to emails, Instagram, or Netflix, different to other forms of addiction – and warns us of the dangers this could cause long-term. As well as introspection, he gives practical solutions to how digital addiction can be controlled for good.


Extremely Online by Taylor Lorenz

Journalist Taylor Lorenz calls this book “a social history of social media”; she uses real-life case studies of mothers, teenagers, politicians and influencers to assess how social media touches all demographics. Extremely Online explores topics from the digital economy and influencer culture, to what makes moments go viral on Twitter and how this is all influencing the way we socialise and understand the world. At its core, this book explores the idea of what it means to connect – and how social media as an innovation has warped communication.


TikTok Boom by Chris Stokel-Walker

TikTok is arguably one of the most significant advancements in social media in the past two decades. This book by journalist and writer Chris Stokel-Walker explores how the app is changing the way users interact with content. It moves away from the social-commentary style of the other books mentioned here, instead using business and technology analysis as a means to describe wider socio-political repercussions of the app. Stokel-Walker bridges the gap between the digital and the physical, showing the feedback loop that exists between what happens online on platforms such as TikTok and the real world.

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