YouTube was caught up in controversy again Wednesday after a widely debunked video about the Parkland, Fla., shooting not only went undetected by its filters, but actually became a top trending piece on the site.
Axios reporter Sara Fischer says the video slipped through the cracks because it featured visuals from a “real news source.”
“The bad actor that uploaded that...manipulated it with bad comments and bad language,” she said.
The video claiming a survivor of the Parkland shooting was an actor planted by gun control advocates was eventually taken down. YouTube said it’s “working to improve our systems moving forward.”
Social media platforms have been criticized for the secrecy of algorithms that drive trending content, especially during breaking news situations. But lifting that cloak of mystery may not be the silver bullet.
“[These companies] don’t want bad actors to game the system. And how will they do that? They’ll do that if they know exactly how the algorithms are being tweaked,” explained Fischer.
Tech companies are taking steps to combat the spread of “fake news”. Twitter has worked to get rid of bots that automatically retweet content, and Facebook is going to start down-ranking “non-authoritative news” and “up ranking local news.”
Still, problems persist.
“It’s hard to get 100% perfect and retain that openness,” adds Fischer. “That openness is actually sometimes what helps break the actual news. So it’s a delicate dance that they have to do.”
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
