Saturday, dozens of stars around the world are coming together — virtually — for the global and digital broadcast of "One World: Together at Home," a concert event to support healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic response and the World Health Organization.
The event has been curated in collaboration with star Lady Gaga and will feature top-tier acts like Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Elton John, and, just announced today, The Rolling Stones.
Mick Sheldrick, chief policy and government affairs officer at Global Citizen, told Cheddar Friday that businesses and philanthropists have been donating to the WHO's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund as part of "One World" and supporting local regional response efforts.
"What this fund is providing is much-needed equipment like PPE to health workers in over 75 countries. They're also providing tests to over 126 countries, and critically they are also supporting many of the laboratory scientists around the world who are rapidly working to develop a vaccine," Sheldrick said.
Lady Gaga has been a tremendous help, he noted and said she has made sure the organization is supporting the critical needs of healthcare workers around the world. He also said the singer will continue working with Global Citizen beyond tomorrow's event.
"She really went above and beyond to make sure she understood these issues and not only did she reach out and curate this phenomenal lineup, but she also did calls and reached out to some the CEO's of the largest companies in the U.S. and around the world," he said.
The two-hour special will begin streaming on digital platforms at 2 pm ET and will air on ABC, NBC, and CBS at 8 pm ET. The channels' late-night hosts, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Stephen Colbert, have also joined in the effort and will host the special.
"We hope everyone will tune in and take some time out and show that spirit of solidarity," Sheldrick said.
After years of spreading incendiary conspiracy theories, the right-wing gadfly Alex Jones was kicked off Facebook, YouTube, Apple, and Spotify because recent lawsuits highlight the "real-life harm" of his rhetoric, says Axios media reporter Sara Fischer, and the tech platforms have established a new standard for acceptable speech online.
Andy Swift, executive editor for TVLine, explains to Cheddar that 'peak TV' has evolved into 'panic TV.' And, Swift says, networks and streaming platforms are revisiting the old standbys to guarantee success in a market over-saturated with new content.
President Trump has proposed rolling back his predecessor's fuel efficiency standards. The move is effectively
an attack on states like California that set their own standards, says Dan Becker, director at Safe Climate Campaign.
Norwich University is offering students Income Share Agreements, the opportunity for reduced tuition in exchange for a share of their future paychecks. Daphne E. Larkin, Director of Media Relations & Community Affairs at Norwich University, describes the advantages of an ISA and tells Cheddar which students are eligible for this financing.
The tech giants' decisions to block content by the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones may encourage other platforms to crackdown on his incendiary rhetoric, says Mashable's Heather Dockray. "The claims he's making have always been dangerous," Dockray says. "But they seem particularly paranoid as of late."
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Josh Ostrovsky, the Instagram influencer known as The Fat Jewish says social media entrepreneurs should stop posting photos of their açaí bowls and make real products instead. He and his Swish Beverage co-founder David Oliver Cohen say there are too many influencers peddling brands and creating nothing but noise.
Zest Labs CEO Peter Mehring says his company is suing Walmart for $2 billion for allegedly stealing its fresh-food technology. The Silicon Valley start-up worked for years with the retail behemoth to develop ways to keep produce fresh for shipping before Walmart unveiled its own eerily similar solution.
Ripa Rashid, co-president of the Center for Talent Innovation, says that CBS's decision to keep Les Moonves as CEO after six women alleged he sexual harassed them could hurt the network's internal culture as much as its public reputation.
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