As Russia Continues Its Invasion Of Ukraine, What Role Is TikTok Playing In The Information Battle?
The battle for information in the war in Ukraine is being waged increasingly on social media broadly and TikTok specifically. The platform has become a key source of not just entertainment and connection for a younger generation, but for news and media, too – and world leaders know it. The United States may not be putting boots on the ground in Ukraine, but the White House did recently hold a private briefing for social media influencers who have been covering the war on their channels. Ukrainian influencers and Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy have also used the power of social media to get their messages out. Meanwhile, a different narrative is emerging among influencers in Russia. According to The Wall Street Journal, a liberal watchdog group called Media Matters for America found more than 180 Russian influencer accounts on TikTok working in apparent coordination to create support for Russia’s actions.
Today on the program,we discuss the role TikTok has played in the battle for information in this war with Sarah E. Needleman, tech reporter for the Wall Street Journal. We also discuss how this fits into the greater picture of wartime propaganda with Vasily Gatov, Russian media researcher a part of the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy.
COVID-19 AMA: Moderna Wants A Second Booster For All Adults, What Europe’s Rise In Omicron Cases Means For The U.S., And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Tara Vijayan, associate professor of infectious diseases and medical director of antimicrobial stewardship at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Topics today include:
- Moderna asks the F.D.A. to authorize a second booster for all adults
Europe’s rising caseloads could foreshadow a second Omicron surge in the U.S.
- Overwhelmed by Omicron, Hong Kong runs out of space to bury its dead
- This key indicator could determine how bad a BA.2 wave could be in the U.S.
- Study reveals likely reason for the “stealth” variant’s recent success
- More than 30 companies to start making generic versions of Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill
- Ivermectin did not reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations in largest trial to date
- The goal: Vaccinate 70% of the world against COVID. Scientists are proposing a reboot
Can Deepfakes Help Us Grieve The Loss Of Loved Ones? The Jury Is Out
Deepfakes are videos – fakes ones, as you can probably guess – that use artificial intelligence to replace the likeness of one person with another, creating a piece of digital media that can create convincing photos from scratch, or put convincing words in a politician’s mouth that they never said, or make anyone the star of their favorite movie. Weird, right? It gets better. With recent improvements in the technology, deepfakes now have the ability to reanimate the dead, giving families the ability to interact with loved ones in a way never before possible. Example: a few years ago, Kanye West gifted his then-wife Kim Kardashian with a hologram of her late father for her birthday. While there are plenty of deepfake critics, others are open to the possibility that this technology is just another iteration in how our society memorializes and remembers the dead. When it comes to memorializing our loved ones, could deepfakes help us heal? Or do they create more harm?
Today on AirTalk, we speak with freelance reporter Leo Kim who recently wrote an article for Wired Magazine on deepfakes and grief. We’re also joined by Nathan Colaner, director of business analytics at Seattle University and managing director of the Initiative in Ethics and Transformative Technologies.
FilmWeek: ‘The Outfit,’ ‘Phoenix Rising,’ ‘Deep Water’ And More
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell, Lael Loewenstein and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms.
The 20th annual FilmWeek Oscar preview show is live and in person at the historic Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, and we want to see you there! Join Larry Mantle and our esteemed FilmWeek critics this Sunday, March 20th from 1-3 pm as they break down all the major categories, plus a live Q&A with our critics. You can learn more about tickets and safety protocols click here.
- “The Outfit,” Wide Release
- "Phoenix Rising,” Streaming on HBO Platforms
- "Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie," Wide Release
- "The Hater,” Laemmle’s Glendale Theater & Galaxy Theatres Mission Grove (Riverside); VOD (including iTunes)
- "Deep Water," Streaming on Hulu
- “Master,” The Landmark (West LA) & Laemmle’s NoHo 7; Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
- “Alice,” Wide Release
- “X,” Wide Release
- “Windfall,” Streaming on Netflix
- “Cheaper By The Dozen,” Streaming on Disney Plus
Director, Star Of ‘Master’ On How The Film Reflects Today’s Society And The Use Of Horror To Tell Stories About Race
The new film “Master” takes a page right out of Jordan Peele's playbook, emulating films like “Get Out” that use horror to reflect the Black experience in predominantly white spaces. In “Master,” that space is a prestigious college named Ancaster, a stand-in for Yale located not far from Salem, Massachusetts (and yes, there might be witches on campus, too). The film follows an incoming freshman, played by Zoe Renee, and a head of a residence hall known as a ‘Master,’ played by Regina Hall. The two Black women work through parallel and sinister experiences. KPCC’s John Horn talked with Hall along with Writer and Director Mariama Diallo about making the movie. It’s rated R. It’s showing in select theaters and available on Amazon Prime Video.