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Jack Benjamin

@jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social
842 followers 1.1K following 2.3K posts

Senior reporter and podcast host for The Media Leader, a trade publication focused on all things commercial media. Writer, journalist, American in London.

PostsRepliesMedia
Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 9h
Trump isn’t transparent with the press, he’s accessible. There’s a big difference, and it tells you a lot about the journalists that do praise him for offering that access.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 18h
The Times and Sky News have conducted some great reporting on the harms caused by scam ads. But the titles are themselves carrying such ads, including links to spoof articles of The Guardian, Daily Mail, and BBC that promote products like Drivenol and Mendorex. uk.themedialeader.com/why-are-the-...
uk.themedialeader.com
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 20h
Ofcom is investigating whether Meta failed to comply with illegal content and children’s risk assessment duties for the disappearing photo-sharing feature Instants. www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...
ofcom.org.uk
Investigation into Meta’s compliance with illegal content risk assessment duties
Ofcom has today opened an investigation to understand whether Meta has failed to comply with illegal content and children’s risk assessment duties.
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Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 05/10/2026
ChatGPT is adding real cartoonists’ signatures to fake New Yorker cartoons buff.ly/YJ1mAiP
buff.ly
ChatGPT is adding real cartoonists’ signatures to fake New Yorker cartoons
OpenAI's chatbot isn't just imitating the magazine's style. It's also falsely attributing AI-generated images to real artists.
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Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The amount of money the administration is promising in order to buy votes is significantly less than the amount of money it is taking away in programs and services. And it's OUR money!
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Haven't seen it yet (and honestly wasn't planning on it) but from the trailer alone you could tell this had 'box-office-bomb-but-cult-classic-in-ten-years' written all over it.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
New: TikTok is launching a conversational AI shopping assistant, among other new AI tools for marketers. “We see a huge opportunity to take the operational load out of making purchase decisions.” uk.themedialeader.com/tiktok-leans...
uk.themedialeader.com
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
“If the critic’s work is relegated to list-making, or short-form-video reactions, little separates them from anyone else on the internet, because the challenging work of careful aesthetic judgment has been reduced to its crudest form.” www.newyorker.com/culture/infi...
newyorker.com
How Lists Became Our Greatest Defense Against Endless Slop
A form that was once emblematic of the internet’s frivolity has become our preferred way of expressing taste, with the New York Times and Letterboxd users alike clamoring to define the canon.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Also outrageous that Peter Thiel got a private viewing for some reason ???
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Everyone always points to AI in helping drive medical breakthroughs, and this may well happen sooner than later, but there is nothing inherently stopping us from allowing that to go ahead while regulating the models from doing "bad things".
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
"And let us do so in a way that we are entirely unregulated so people can create AI generated CSAM and bad actors could use it to develop a bioweapon and our models can go rogue and do who knows what without us being held responsible for any of it."
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
People understand trade-offs. But the current trade-off on offer is: "Let us steal the entire internet's IP to build a thing which requires a huge amount of natural resources at the height of the climate crisis so that you can automate bullshit work and we can sell ads and subscriptions."
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The problem with Altman's "bad things" quote is none of the AI companies have yet proven their models have demonstrably led to "good things".
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
It's a privilege to see an important piece of history and actually very fittingly British to wait in such long queues to see it, but as far as museum exhibits go, it's poorly handled.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Had a similar experience on Saturday: 5:20 entry time on ticket, didn't finish looking at the Tapestry until 7:05. Waited 1hr 20 minutes in various queues to see it. They need to install a moving walkway like with the Crown Jewels. People spent ages looking at details causing massive delays.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Huge L for Sony that they haven’t released anything for this console generation. Been six years since their last title and Intergalactic doesn’t even have a release date. Personally I thought A Thief’s End was a perfect end to the series anyway, so surprising they want to revisit it.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 30/09/2026
Pete Hegseth appoints Elon Musk to US taskforce on future of warfare
theguardian.com
Pete Hegseth appoints Elon Musk to US taskforce on future of warfare
A year after his explosive tenure at Doge, the SpaceX CEO is back in the Trump administration’s good graces Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that Elon Musk will co-lead a government project to study the future of warfare, marking the SpaceX CEO’s first return to government since he ran the chaotic, so -called “department of government efficiency”, or Doge. Musk will be joined by Palmer Luckey, CEO of the defense tech company Anduril, and Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker of the House. A defense department press release on the effort, called Project Meridian, described its goal as “identifying the capabilities required to achieve absolute technological dominance on the next-generation battlefield”. The project will run for 120 days and culminate in an unclassified public report of its recommendations. Continue reading...
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
"In 2013, Meta claimed that $4.1 billion of stock options exercised by Mr. Zuckerberg counted as a research expense because he helped invent new software, such as Facebook’s News Feed."
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Meta trimmed $4bn off its tax bill in 2025 alone by claiming its data centres qualified for a tax break meant for research and experimentation. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/t...
nytimes.com
How Meta Uses A.I. Data Centers to Avoid Billions in Federal Taxes
Meta is exploiting a lucrative tax break intended to support research and experimentation. Its own accountants say the gambit is risky.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The most interesting part of this to me is the extent to which the right wing media coverage appears manufactured. The Axios story, the Hannity/Benny Johnson posts, the Charlie Kirk show appearance. Begs the question of who got advanced warning on this “bombshell” and how often this stuff happens.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There's something super off-putting about both Meta's Muse and OpenAI's Dots being dressed up as cuddly avatars. Like the executives know the only way to convince people to give their companies all your personal data is to look cute while doing it.
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Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 29/09/2026
Reuters got some of the IPO docs. Anthropic is a total dog of a company. Spent $12.6bn to make $4.6bn in revenue in 2025, $7.33bn of which was compute costs. Operating loss of $8bn. Losses getting worse year over year. Amazing stuff www.reuters.com/business/fin...
Summary
Companies
• Anthropic IPO could value the company at more than $2
trillion
• Anthropic lost $42 billion in 2025
• Al lab spent $7.33 billion on compute and infrastructure last year
• Operating loss widened to $8.06 billion in 2025 from $2.98 billion in 2024
• Execs, industry analysts have expressed concerns over harms of Al tech
Sept 28 (Reuters) - Anthropic is making a massive bet that Al will transform the global economy more profoundly than industrialization, electricity and the internet, according to its IPO prospectus seen by Reuters.
But the cost to get there will be staggering. Anthropic reported a net loss of $42 billion in 2025, and plans to spend $518 billion on cloud, computing and infrastructure obligations in coming year, according to the
prospectus.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The solidarity was nice while it lasted 😪 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/b...
nytimes.com
TV Networks to Resume Trump Coverage, Even as White House Excludes CNN (Gift Article)
The White House TV pool went dark this past week amid a standoff between CNN and the president. Network leaders, however, believe an indefinite suspension may be untenable.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Control Resonant is cracked. Game is insanely fun and inventive.
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Alan Rusbridger @arusbridger.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Modi, Orban, Erdogan, Trump, Farage. They all learn from each other on how to deal with journalists, and how create their own propaganda channels. app.prospectmagazine.co.uk/story/75066/...
app.prospectmagazine.co.uk
Trump is trying to control the news, and Farage is desperate to follow him
Banning the media from the White House appears to have backfired, but the bigger fight for press freedom—when so much of our information is controlled by a handful of billionaires—is very much on
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The same companies caught running ads for literal CSAM won’t run ads for the Musk doc. Let that sink in.
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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Oligarch solidarity www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...
hollywoodreporter.com
The Major Social Media Platforms Are All Rejecting Paid Ads for Alex Gibney’s ‘Musk’ (Exclusive)
YouTube, TikTok and Meta have all turned down the trailer for the Oct. 9 doc, citing "political" content. X won't even take Bleecker Street's calls. The distributor is appealing.
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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
this story is truly 2026 in a nutshell. AI is super intelligent. but it's expensive. so it'll pass off your task to a grunt in the phillipines. www.404media.co/meta-tests-m...
404media.co
Meta Tests Muse AI Agent Calls That Are Actually Made By Humans in a Call Center
"This has potential for so much negative PR. It could portray us as ‘their AI is not good enough so they still need humans’ kind of coverage for this launch."
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Is it just me or has NYT's Style section become the go-to way for broligarchs and MAGAs to get some positive PR? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/s...
nytimes.com
Mark Zuckerberg Is Trying Something On
Meta’s C.E.O. talks for the first time about his style evolution.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Zuckerberg wants nothing more than to replace the smartphone because Apple screwed Meta over with ATT in 2022. But I don't know why someone would carry this cute piece of spyware around rather than a smartphone.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Strikes me as overly bullish. The iPod was meeting a clear consumer demand: portable music in a much more convenient form factor. Are people really asking for an AI assistant on their person all the time? Public sentiment about AI and Meta are highly negative and this is a data privacy nightmare.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Bruh www.semafor.com/article/09/2...
semafor.com
Exclusive: Paramount weighs tapping Musk for equity investment
A cash injection from SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk could reduce investor Larry Ellison’s financial burden and bolster the deal’s investor base.
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Status @status.news · 23/09/2026
The anonymous source behind one of the stories the White House cited to justify banning POLITICO was none other than Vice President JD Vance, we have learned. Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/white-hous...
status.news
The Source Behind The Ban
The anonymous source behind one of the stories the White House cited to justify banning POLITICO was none other than Vice President JD Vance, Status has learned.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Ofcom is now investigating the company behind Pornhub's age checks. "We are concerned that Aylo’s process may not be highly effective at preventing children from seeing pornography." www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...
ofcom.org.uk
Ofcom launches investigation into Pornhub’s age checks
Ofcom has opened an investigation into Aylo – the service provider of Pornhub – under the UK’s Online Safety Act, to determine whether it has complied with its duties to prevent children from encounte...
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Accumulate so much power within literally 13 months. Until last August, this nepo baby was just some production studio executive responsible for mediocre mass market action flicks.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Connecticut AG William Tong: “Connecticut wanted and demanded full divestiture of CNN and CBS News. [...] “I am deeply disappointed that we could not do more.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/21/m...
nytimes.com
After Crucial Paramount Agreement Come Relief, Anger and Concern
Few seem totally satisfied by the settlement that will let Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery move forward.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“Oh my God, all of it is for sale. It’s all for sale.”
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Reece @thiccreese.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Meta's new AI agent wanted my passport info. Not to help me. To train on me. Actually, it wanted everything: bank accounts, email inboxes, ID info. No surprise coming from Meta. But always worth reminding readers that AI automations come with major privacy risks. www.wired.com/story/metas-...
wired.com
Meta's Muse Is Better at Surveilling Than Helping Me
The Muse app continues Meta’s trend of opting users into data collection for AI training. It also nudges you to share your bank account, email, and passport information.
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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This description of the CNN/CBS “editorial independence board” is not reassuring, because there is no sign that it has any actual power. Also, the requirement that the journalists on the board be from different political parties is exceptionally weird. Via @brianstelter.bsky.social
Under the settlement terms, that board must be established within 180 days of closing and comprise of five "established journalists (active or retired)," each with at least 10 years of experience.
The panel will resolve disputes over
"alleged reporting bias or failure to meet agreed reporting fairness standards" and monitor "editorial independence,
including from... ownership and shareholders." Members will be appointed by the company's board of directors, and "no more than two" may be
"affiliated" with the same political party.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 21/09/2026
LMFAO -- Trump is holding an event at the White House right now but there's no audio because the press pool isn't there. The Newsmax host notes that this is an example of Trump's attacks on the press "backfiring just a little bit"
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Formalized details still to come. Some of the earlier reporting suggested they’d be made accountable to some of these commitments (eg, paying a hefty fine if they produce fewer than 30 films per year), but I agree as of now this reads as toothless. Could be a huge and dangerous regulatory failure.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
- Fandago, including Rotten Tomatoes - TNT/TNT Sports - Warner Bros Games - Discovery (+) - Cartoon Network - Adult Swim - TBS - TruTV - Discovery Channel - HGTV - Food Network - TLC - Oracle - ... and more.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The Ellisons will own (in full or in part): - TikTok US - CBS/CBS News/Sports - CNN - Paramount (+) - Nickelodeon - Comedy Central - Miramax - MTV - Showtime - BET - Channel 5 (UK) - Pluto TV - Warner Bros Pictures - New Line Cinema - Castle Rock - DC Entertainment/Studios/Comics - HBO (Max) 1/2
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Even with the concessions, this would be a severe loss for media plurality, and David Ellison has, I would argue, not earned public trust.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Key concessions include: - Establishing a board of journalists to ensure editorial independence of CNN and CBS News. - Distributing at least 30 movies in theatres per year (as pledged). - Pledging to spend $1.5bn on film production over next 5 years.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Per NYT, Paramount is settling with states to push its acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery through. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/21/b...
nytimes.com
Paramount to Resolve Antitrust Lawsuit, Clearing the Way for Warner Bros. Acquisition
The deal would remove the last significant hurdle the media mogul David Ellison faced to create a news and entertainment empire, home to movie studios, HBO, CBS and CNN.
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Scott Nover @scottnover.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
BREAKING: TV pool will not be providing coverage of presidential events until further notice b/c of CNN's ban, pool chair and FOX News Washington Bureau Chief Bryan Boughton said. It's effectively a boycott by the fellow members — ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX: www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Joint statement from MS NOW, Politico and CNN: @ms.now @politico.com @cnn.com
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico are suing over blocked access to the White House. edition.cnn.com/2026/09/21/p... Hearings and legal arguments could commence as soon as this week, per CNN. Couldn't be a more straightforward 1st Amendment violation.
edition.cnn.com
CNN, MS NOW and Politico to sue Trump administration over White House access | CNN Politics
The three national news outlets President Donald Trump banned from the White House — CNN, MS NOW, and Politico — are filing a critical First Amendment lawsuit to restore their access.
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Jack Benjamin @jackcarterbenjamin.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Snip snap snip snap www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u... (Gift link)
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