The murder of the right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk highlighted the extent to which social media companies are failing in their supposed commitment to monitor content. Graphic, close-up videos of the shooting swamped platforms within moments of the killing, including in X’s “For You” feeds curated for users by the algorithm. TikTok and BlueSky took down the most graphic of videos, while Meta spent days trying to catch up with the volume of content, adding warning labels to some videos. Many remained on X and YouTube.
Platforms are scaling back moderation in the name of protecting free speech – all as Vice-President JD Vance’s commitment to free speech wobbled somewhat as he encouraged Americans to report colleagues celebrating the death of Kirk.
It’s good to see GB News presenter Bev Turner settling in so well with the cranks and conspiracy theorists Stateside.
Turner, the broadcaster’s new US correspondent, who has almost a quarter of a million followers on X, was quick to share a post naming the “prime suspect” in the killing of Kirk. Except they weren’t the suspect – it was just another conspiracy theory circulating on 4chan. And still, Turner’s influence grows…
LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong enraged his staff and lost thousands of subscribers when he forced editors to withdraw the paper’s endorsement of Kamala Harris ahead of last year’s US election. He has also killed a column critical of Trump, claiming he wants to make the title more “balanced”. But now the LA Times is facing competition from a new proudly partisan left-wing online outlet, Drop Site, which has been gaining a huge following for its coverage of the war in Gaza. Its publisher? Soon-Shiong’s daughter, Nika.
A group of BBC staff are planning to write to director-general Tim Davie calling for a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to take part next summer. Spain has already voted to boycott the event; Ireland and the Netherlands have threatened a similar move. Staff shared concerns after Davie told the Public Accounts Committee the BBC would “work with” the contest’s organisers “on the issue”: “Eurovision has never been about politics; it should be a celebration of music and culture that brings people together,” he said. One angry employee told me: “Eurovision is supposed to be about the coming together of nations for fun. To have Israel there would be wholly wrong as its horrendous war on Gaza continues.”
Could Lady Rothschild be looking at selling her stake in the Economist to join in the consortium still trying to buy the Daily Telegraph? The businesswoman is looking to sell her 20 per cent stake in the magazine for a possible £400m. Last year Rothschild and her partner, Lord Saatchi, put together a bid for the Telegraph, but refused to pitch in at the inflated asking price of £500m. The sale of the paper limps forward, but leaders RedBird are believed to still be looking for additional investment.
A string of insider secrets about palace life have ended up in the Sun, the Times, the Mirror, Daily Mail and Daily Express over the past year, including Kate’s fondness for Moroccan argan oil and the King’s dislike of scented candles. The source? “Royal cleaner” Anne Simmons. Now investigative reporter Rob Waugh has revealed no one has heard of her; it seems the source of the stories is a public relations firm.
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[See also: After Charlie Kirk, Maga wants revenge]
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This article appears in the 17 Sep 2025 issue of the New Statesman, Can Zohran Mamdani save the left?
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