Facts largely ineffective in countering conspiracy theorists, research says

Conspiracy theories have become more prevalent than ever (and especially in the political realm, pictured). And researchers now say combatting conspiracies with factual evidence is largely ineffective in quashing conspiracy beliefs. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

April 5 (UPI) -- Conspiracy theories have become more prevalent than ever, and according to researchers, combatting conspiracies with factual evidence is largely ineffective in quashing conspiracy beliefs.

Researchers from University College Cork studied the effectiveness of several intervention methods, including presenting rational arguments, and found most methods do not work once conspiracies take hold.

The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One.

Conspiracy beliefs were described in the study as beliefs that "explain important events as secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups." Examples included conspiracies about the 1969 moon landing being fake and recent conspiracies that created fear over the COVID-19 vaccine.

"While the intuitive solution to countering unfounded conspiracy beliefs is to present facts and arguments that contradict the conspiracy explanation, our review indicates that this approach is among the least effective," Cian O'Mahony, lead researcher from the UCC School of Applied Psychology, said in a statement.

The most effective approach was to arm subjects with critical thinking skills before they were exposed to conspiracy beliefs. This method, referred to as "conspiracy inoculation," involved a three-month course on the differences between scientific evidence and pseudoscience.

In all, only about half of all approaches yielded any positive results. Presenting arguments that attempted to appeal to a person's empathy showed slight success. Ridiculing a conspiracy theorists' beliefs similarly made a small impact.

"Our analysis highlights that fostering analytical mindsets and explicitly teaching critical thinking skills is a more promising method for challenging conspiracy beliefs," O'Mahony added. "While there is no currently silver bullet that can completely mitigate misinformation spread by conspiracy beliefs, our review highlights some promising trends for future research."

U$A FOR PROFIT HEALTHCARE 

Cost keeps many women from follow-up after abnormal mammogram
By Cara Murez, HealthDay News

Just over one-fifth of U.S. women surveyed by researchers said they would skip additional testing if they had to pay a deductible or co-pay. Photo by Rhoda Baer/Wikimedia Commons


A new study shows that money, or lack of it, can stand in the way of follow-up testing after an abnormal mammogram result.

Just over one-fifth of U.S. women surveyed by researchers said they would skip additional testing if they had to pay a deductible or co-pay.

Of 714 women who responded when asked if they'd have follow-up imaging if they had to pay for all or part of it, 21% said they would skip imaging, 59% said they would not skip imaging and 19.5% were undecided.

"Currently, there is no out-of-pocket payment or co-payment for screening mammography since it's covered under the ACA [Affordable Care Act]," said study lead author Dr. Michael Ngo, a radiology resident at Boston Medical Center. "However, any follow-up diagnostic imaging for an abnormal finding seen on screening mammography may require the patient to pay a co-payment or deductible, depending on their healthcare plan."

High-deductible health plans (HDHPs) have become popular since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) began, and so healthcare costs and insurance premiums have increased in recent years.

HDHPs are thought to lower overall healthcare costs by making individuals more aware of their medical expenses. The higher deductible also lowers monthly insurance premiums.

However, HDHPs also have a high out-of-pocket deductible cost - a minimum of $1,500 for individuals and $3,000 for families.

Many don't follow up with colonoscopy after positive stool test for cancer

The Boston survey also included demographic questions on race, education level, annual household income and insurance payor.

"The patients who were more likely to say they would skip diagnostic imaging tended to be racial/ethnic minorities, have a lower educational level, have a lower-income household, are on Medicaid or have no insurance at all," Ngo said in a news release from the Radiological Society of North America.

About 33% of Hispanic women said they would skip additional imaging. So did 31% of those who had a high school education or less, 27% of those with a household income of less than $35,000, and 31.5% who were on Medicaid or uninsured.

High costs keep some women from follow-up screening for breast cancer

"Prior research has shown that these groups tend to already have lower adherence to preventative services, including breast cancer screening, and tend to have worse breast cancer outcomes," Ngo said. "Based on these results, these out-of-pocket payments may account for at least a part of the delay in seeking care. This, in turn, leads to delays in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, increases overall breast cancer mortality and exacerbates existing gaps in breast cancer care in women who already have financial barriers in care."

About 18% of women said they would skip even the initial mammogram if they knew they would have to pay for a follow-up screening. Nearly 66% said they would not skip this initial screening and 16% were undecided, the investigators found.

The findings were published Tuesday in the journal Radiology.

The researchers said identifying socioeconomic barriers to healthcare is critical to addressing disparities and providing better outcomes for vulnerable patients.

"We hope these results can be used to advocate for legislation to eliminate out-of-pocket expenditure for screening diagnostic imaging follow-up, to alleviate the existing healthcare disparities," Ngo said.

Another study in a much larger group, published online recently in JAMA Network Open, also found that women with high deductibles were less likely to access follow-up screening.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on mammograms.

Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Air pollution associated with lower COVID-19 vaccine efficacy

Researchers in Spain and Germany found that the COVID-19 vaccines were less effective for people exposed to consistent air pollution. 

File Photo by Abhishek/UPI | License Photo


April 5 (UPI) -- People exposed to air pollution at higher levels before the COVID-19 pandemic experienced lower antibody responses from vaccines, making them more vulnerable, according to a new Spanish and Germany study.

The study, led by the Barcelona Institute for GlobalHealth, or ISGlobal, in collaboration with the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute, or IGTP, was published Wednesday in the scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

The researchers analyzed data from 927 participants ages 40 to 65 who answered questionnaires and gave blood samples in the summer of 2020 right after the first lockdown.

In the spring of 2021, after participants received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines made by AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna, the research team measured antibodies to five viral antigens. Exposure to fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, black carbon, or BC, nitrogen dioxide, NO2, and ozone, O3, was estimated for each participant based on his or her address before the pandemic.

The results from the examination showed that in uninfected individuals, pre-pandemic exposure to the tested pollutant was associated with a 5% to 10% reduction in vaccine-induced spike antibodies. They said the decrease in efficacy was seen through all three vaccines.

"Air pollution can induce chronic inflammation, which has been associated with a negative effect on vaccine efficacy," said Carlota Dobaño, co-senior author of the study, together with Cathryn Tonne. "Our findings are consistent with evidence that persistent organic pollutants reduce vaccine responses in children."

Air pollution has been associated with a wide range of negative health issues, including lung cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and diabetes.

Monoclonal antibodies reduce hospitalizations, deaths from COVID-19

"Air pollutants have been shown to affect immune responses," ISGlobal researcher Manolis Kogevinas said. "So, in this study we wished to determine whether air pollution also affects antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines."

The researchers said those previously infected with COVID-19 had higher vaccine responses, which could explain why the effect of pollutants was only observed in people without prior infection. They said additional investigations should be done on the long-term exposure to air pollution on hybrid immunity.

British government to place some asylum seekers on a barge

British Home Secretary Suella Braverman approved a plan to house single male asylum seekers on a barge off the Dorset coast.

Tolga Akmen/EPA-EFE


April 5 (UPI) -- Britain's Home Office said on Wednesday that it will place 500 immigrants seeking asylum and other refugees on a barge along the Dorset coast over complaints from locals.

The government said the Bibby Stockholm, which will house single men, will be anchored in Portland Port. The barge, which is Barbados registered, can sleep about 500 along with having "basic and functional accommodations."

The Home Office, under Minister Suella Braverman, said the barge would "reduce the unsustainable pressure on the U.K.'s asylum system and cut the cost to the taxpayer caused by the significant increase in Channel crossings. Currently, hotel accommodation for asylum seekers is costing [$7.47 million] a day."

Officials added that the barge will have healthcare provisions, catering facilities and around-the-clock security. It said men who have had their asylum claims refused and have exhausted appeal options will be removed from Britain.

"The Home Secretary and I have been clear that the use of expensive hotels to house those making unnecessary and dangerous journeys must stop," Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said in a statement. "We will not elevate the interests of illegal migrants over the British people we are elected to serve."

Immigrant rights groups and local lawmakers have been largely opposed to the barge, which had been used by the Netherlands for asylum seekers.

Enver Soloman, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said the barge "does not provide what they need nor the respect, dignity and support they deserve."

Steve Valdez-Symonds, from Amnesty International Britain, said moving immigrants to a barge offshore has more to do with politics than actually solving issues around Britain's growing migration challenges.

"Along with the disastrous Rwanda scheme, all talk of barges, cruise ships and former military barracks should be abandoned," Valdez-Symonds said. "Anyone seeking asylum in this country should be housed in decent accommodation with proper facilities and, crucially, their claims should be properly and consistently processed."

UK Charters Bibby Accommodation Barge to House Asylum Seekers

Bibby Stockholm can accommodate up to 500 people (Bibby Marine)

PUBLISHED APR 5, 2023 8:24 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Faced with rising costs and what UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called an unsustainable situation, the UK’s Home Office confirmed today that it is chartering an accommodation vessel to provide housing for migrants caught attempting to enter the country in small boats. The government said it recognizes that using alternative sites and vessels involves difficult decisions, but that urgent action is needed to reduce expensive hotel use and the attraction of coming to the UK illegally.

The Home Office chartered the Bibby Stockholm, an accommodation vessel built in 1976 and which has previously been used in similar capacities in Germany and the Netherlands as well as to house construction workers in the offshore gas and wind sectors. The vessel is operated by Bibby Marine which says it was recently refurbished and is currently available. The vessel has been chartered for at least 18 months and will be docked at Portland Port, in Dorset, England. 

“We have to use alternative accommodation options, as our European neighbors are doing – including the use of barges and ferries to save the British taxpayer money and to prevent the UK becoming a magnet for asylum shoppers in Europe,” said the UK’s Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick announcing this plan. “All accommodation will meet our legal obligations and we will work closely with the local community to address their concerns, including through financial support.”

Sunak has taken an aggressive stance against the influx of migrants ahead of elections which are largely expected to take place in 2024. The UK has struggled for years with how to handle the people mostly crossing the English Channel illegally in small boats. Government data shows that approximately 4,000 migrants in 97 boats have been detected since the start of 2023. In the last week, 224 people were detected on seven boats. News of the plan to use accommodation barges leaked out in the press last week.

The government is placing a priority on taking steps to stop the boats. The Home Secretary has said that they must reduce the unsustainable pressure on the UK’s asylum system and lower the cost to taxpayers. The government reports it is spending £6 million (approximately $7.5 million) a day for hotel accommodations.

They justify the use of the accommodation vessel highlighting similar programs elsewhere in Europe. Both the Netherlands and Scotland they point out chartered ferries in 2022 to accommodate Ukrainian refugees. 

The Bibby Stockholm is 306 feet long with three decks of accommodations and 222 cabins. It is 10,659 gross tons and has a maximum capacity of 500 people. It has onboard boilers for hot water and heat and connections for shore power and sewerage. 

Officials for Portland Port said they were “keen to play our part in the national effort to house,” the asylum seekers. They said they would be working with local agencies, including health and emergency services, to prepare for the arrival of the Bibby Stockholm.

The government plans to accommodate about 500 single adult males on the vessel while their asylum claims are being processed. They said the vessel will provide “basic and functional accommodation” and healthcare, as well as catering facilities. They will also have 24/7 security aboard. People whose asylum claims are refused and have exhausted their appeal rights, however, will be removed from the UK.

In addition to the accommodation barge, the government last week said it plans to begin moving asylum seekers from hotels to surplus military sites as part of its efforts to secure alternative, more appropriate accommodations other than costly hotels. No timing was announced for when the Bibby Stockholm would arrive in the UK with the government only saying that migrants are due to be moved to the vessel in the coming months.

Dominion can force Murdochs to testify, judge rules

By Matt Bernardini

Publisher Rupert Murdoch can be forced to testify in Dominon's defamation suit against Fox News, a Delaware judge ruled on Wednesday.

 File photo by Ray Stubblebine/UPI | License Photo

April 5 (UPI) -- Fox Corporation executives Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch must testify on the witness stand if called to do so, in this month's defamation trial brought by Dominion Voting Systems, a Delaware judge ruled Wednesday.

If Dominion subpoenas the Murdochs they would need to show up at the courthouse and take the witness stand, Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis said. Dominion has sued Fox for $1.6 billion, saying it was defamed when the network said that its voting systems manipulated the election results.

Fox had tried to block them from testifying, saying their testimony wasn't necessary, but Davis disagreed.

"Fox and Dominion have made these four parties very relevant," Davis said during a hearing on Wednesday, according to CNBC. "It's not the corporation that raises its hand on the stand, it's their officers and directors that raise their hand on the stand."

Judge says Dominion's defamation suit against Fox News can begin in April

"So if Dominion wants to bring them in live, they need to do a trial subpoena and I would not quash it. I would compel them to come," Davis added on Wednesday.

Last week Davis denied Fox's attempts to dismiss the lawsuit, meaning that the case will go to trial this month.

Davis ruled that the statements that Fox News made were false. It will be up to a jury to decide whether or not Fox News acted in "actual malice," meaning it knowingly pushed false information

"The evidence developed in this civil proceeding demonstrates that [it is] CRYSTAL clear that none of the statements relating to Dominion about the 2020 election are true," Davis wrote in his ruling on Friday.

Dominion has said its reputation was damaged when Fox News aired claims that tied it to the late leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, paid kickbacks to politicians, and a "rigged" presidential election.

In a court filing last month, text messages were published by star hosts for Fox News, including Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham. The text messages show the host privately disparaging former President Donald Trump and his claims of voter fraud.

Stacey Abrams to join Howard University as Endowed Chair for Race, Black Politics

Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams will join Howard University's faculty as its first Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics, the university announced Wednesday.

 File Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo

April 5 (UPI) -- Howard University has named Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams as its first Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics.

Abrams, a lawyer and former top Democrat in the Georgia House of Representatives, will join the university's faculty to foster collaborations and real-world solutions on "critical issues of race and Black politics, especially those issues that affect Americans of the African diaspora," the university said.

Abrams will also lead the Ronald W. Walters Speakers Series to ensure diverse perspectives on a range of topics.

"Stacey Abrams has proven herself an essential voice and eager participant in protecting American democracy -- not just for certain populations, but for everyone with the fundamental right to make their voices heard," Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick said in Wednesday's announcement.

"We are pleased to welcome Stacey Abrams to Howard University as the inaugural Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics!" the university tweeted

Ronald W. Walters was an internationally renowned scholar and activist on issues affecting the African diaspora through his death in 2010. The endowed chair was created in Walters' name to continue his legacy and establish Howard University as a scholarship leader in Black politics.

After serving in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017, Abrams became a voting rights activist. She was the Democratic nominee in the 2018 and 2022 Georgia gubernatorial elections, losing both times to Republican candidate Brian Kemp. Following her first narrow loss, Abrams refused to concede and accused Kemp, who was Georgia's Secretary of State at the time, of voter suppression.

In 2019, Abrams became the first African-American woman to deliver a response to the State of the Union address.

"I am honored to serve as the inaugural Ronald W. Walters Endowed Chair for Race and Black Politics, having had the privilege of knowing and learning from Dr. Walters," Abrams said Wednesday.

Vice President Kamala Harris promotes high-speed Internet funding for HBCUs

"We are at an inflection point for American and international democracy, and I look forward to engaging Howard University's extraordinary students in a conversation about where they can influence, shape and direct the critical public policy decisions we face."

U.S. healthcare workers face rising levels of burnout

By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay Reporter

Physicians, nurses, clinical staff and non-clinical support workers in health care all are experiencing substantial levels of burnout, according to a report published recently in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. 

Photo by HalcyonMarine/Pixbay


Cafeteria workers. Receptionists. Pharmacists. Janitors. Administrators. Physical therapists.

Much has been made of burnout among doctors and nurses, but a new survey has found high rates of work fatigue in nearly every type of job associated with healthcare.

Physicians, nurses, clinical staff and non-clinical support workers in healthcare all are experiencing substantial levels of burnout, according to a report published recently in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

For example, the percentage reporting burnout was very similar between nurses (56%), clinical staff (54%), doctors (47%) and non-clinical staff (46%).

Staffing shortage in healthcare affecting more Americans

"Every member of the healthcare team is really critical to patient outcomes and patient experiences of care," said lead researcher Dr. Lisa Rotenstein, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "It's just really important for us to remember that as we are trying to optimize both patient outcomes and experiences for our workforce."

For this study, Rotenstein and her colleagues surveyed workers at 206 large healthcare organizations between April and December 2020, at the height of the pandemic.

The participants included more than 15,000 physicians and 11,000 nurses.

But researchers also surveyed more than 5,000 clinical staff such as pharmacists, nurse assistants, therapists and social workers, as well as more than 11,000 non-clinical staff including housekeeping, administrators, lab technicians and food service workers.

In addition to high levels of burnout, the researchers also found that many workers intended to leave their jobs within two years -- nurses (41%), clinical and non-clinical staff (32%) and doctors (24%).

Substantial numbers also reported work overload, including 47% of nurses and clinical staff, 44% of non-clinical staff and 37% of doctors.

Little improvement after 2020

Even though the survey was conducted during the height of the pandemic, Rotenstein suspects that things haven't improved for healthcare workers in the subsequent years.

"Some of the stresses have persisted as we have moved into a new phase of the pandemic," Rotenstein said. "There are staffing shortages. There are patients who have delayed care because of the COVID pandemic, and so now we're seeing an increase in demand for healthcare. Oftentimes, healthcare workers are being asked to do more with less."

One shouldn't overlook that the pandemic extended well past 2020, adds Dr. Joe Betancourt, a primary care physician and president of The Commonwealth Fund.

"We had the hard work of the next couple of surges after that," Betancourt said. "As I reflect on that time, we were tired then and burned out, then we thought we had gotten through it -- and then we had the next surge, and then another surge. Over time, that really amplified the burnout."

A recent HealthDay/Harris Poll showed that burnout continues to be a factor in healthcare. The survey reported in February that two-thirds of doctors and nurses said they are experiencing moderate to severe burnout at work.

Cost-cutting in healthcare has led to tremendous pressure among workers at all levels, said Dr. Atul Grover, executive director of the Association of American Medical Colleges' Research and Action Institute.

"Healthcare is a very labor-intensive endeavor. Over half the costs in health systems are attributable to labor," Grover said. "If you're asking us to remove costs out of the healthcare system, you're essentially asking us to figure out either how to pay people less or get rid of people. I think that is kind of impossible, at least right now."

People seeking care these days also tend to be sicker and require more treatment, attention and paperwork, Grover added.

"We have done biomedically a very good job at improving the care of chronically ill patients, whether that is renal disease, diabetes, pulmonary disease, cancers," Grover said. "But that means that patients have multiple medical problems. They present much, much sicker in every setting."

Administrative staff have to coordinate complex care coverage with insurance companies. Nurses and doctors have more data to file into electronic health records. Support staff have to work harder to meet the basic needs of sicker patients.

Asking all these workers to do more with less can't help but affect patient care, Rotenstein said.

"We know from existing studies that burnout is associated with lower quality of care in some circumstances and then additionally with medical errors," Rotenstein said.

"The whole reason we did this study is that every member of the healthcare team impacts a patient's journey, whether that is the person at the front desk checking in the patient or seeing when the next available appointment is, to the social worker who's working with the patient or home health aides who are interacting with patients on a daily basis," Rotenstein added.

"All of those roles are critical for high quality healthcare, and so we would expect these types of workplace experiences and stress to ultimately have an impact on care delivery and, importantly, also the availability of care," she added.

Toll on empathy

Burnout also can take a toll on one of the most important emotional aspects of healthcare -- the empathy that workers have for the sick, Grover said.

"If the clinicians and counselors and even the people in food service in their health system are really stressed and unhappy, it's that much more difficult to be empathetic," Grover said.

Health systems have been trying to manage burnout through a "cottage industry" of wellness offerings, Betancourt said -- gift certificates, yoga classes, meditation groups.

"What I hear from a lot of my peers is, it's not about needing those perks," Betancourt said. "I don't have time or the energy to do those things, even if I wanted to."

Instead, attention needs to be given to developing and increasing the workforce rather than cutting it back, as well as streamlining the paperwork and approvals needed to provide care, Betancourt said.

For example, electronic health record companies could be asked to tweak their systems in ways that make it easier to enter data, through artificial intelligence and voice-to-speech recognition, Grover said.

"What can we be asking of these electronic health record companies that get billions of dollars a year from the U.S. healthcare system? What can they do to make programmatic changes and use AI to help improve and ease the burden on clinicians?" Grover said.

Healthcare systems also can be doing a better job tracking work overload and burnout among all staffers, Rotenstein said.

"We have an instrument to measure work overload, and it may be beneficial for organizations to start measuring that actually upstream of burnout and intent to leave, because once you're at the point of burnout or intent to leave, in some ways it's a little late," Rotenstein said.

"There's an opportunity to measure work overload and then to modulate workload for employees in all role types," she added. "And I'll underscore that that's particularly important in a time of healthcare staffing shortages, where certain individuals may be picking up the work of others. That is a really, I would say, important and tangible opportunity."

More information

The Office of the U.S. Surgeon General has more about health worker burnout.

Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

THE COVER UP IS OVER CELIBACY

Maryland AG report alleges 'depraved' child sexual abuse in Archdiocese of Baltimore

By Sheri Walsh

The Maryland Attorney General's Office has released a report, detailing its investigation into the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The report alleges 156 clergy members abused more than 600 victims over six decades. 

Photo courtesy of Farragutful/Wikimedia

April 5 (UPI) -- The Maryland Attorney General's Office has released its 456-page report into the Archdiocese of Baltimore, alleging decades of "horrific and repeated" church sex abuse involving hundreds of children.

The redacted report, released Wednesday, claims 156 Catholic clergy members, seminarians, deacons, teachers, and other employees abused at least 600 children over a period of six decades.

"From the 1940s through 2002, over a hundred priests and other archdiocese personnel engaged in horrific and repeated abuse of the most vulnerable children in their communities while archdiocese leadership looked the other way," the report reads. "Time and again, members of the church's hierarchy resolutely refused to acknowledge allegations of child sexual abuse for as long as possible."

In 2018, the attorney general's office opened an email and telephone hotline for people to report clergy abuse. Since then, it has received more than 300 reports from victims, relatives, and witnesses, as well as "hundreds of thousands of documents" including treatment reports and personnel records.

The results of the four-year investigation were first revealed in a November court filing to make the report public.

"As shown in the report, both boys and girls were abused, with ages ranging from preschool through young adulthood," former Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosch said in November.

On Wednesday, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown met with survivors before releasing the report.

"Today certainly in Maryland is a day of reckoning and a day of accounting," Brown told reporters. "This is a full accounting. There are details of repeated torturous, terrorizing, depraved abuse."

"What was consistent throughout the stories was the absolute authority and power these abusive priests and the church leadership held over survivors, their families and their communities," Brown added.

"They told their victims the abuse was God's will. Some threatened that the victim or the victim's family would go to hell if they told anyone. They attempted to normalize sexual behavior as roughhousing," the report said.

While the attorney general promised to leave the abuse hotline and email open to other survivors, many of those named in the report have died or the statute of limitations has passed.

"While it may be too late for the survivors to see criminal justice served, we hope that exposing the archdiocese's transgressions to the fullest extent possible will bring some measure of accountability and perhaps encourage others to come forward," Brown said. "But for an insurmountable legal obstacle, we will do everything we can to bring those abusers and those who enabled them to justice."

On Wednesday, the Archbishop of Baltimore Rev. William E. Lori issued an apology.

"My letter to you about this painful subject can only begin with a heartfelt apology. I offer this as my imperfect attempt," the Lori wrote.

"I want to express my gratitude to the victim-survivors who have come forward. Your courage has led to change. That change has made the church a safer place for young people," he said.

"To the victim-survivors, their families and all the faithful of the archdiocese: I see the pain and destruction that was perpetuated by representatives of the church and perpetuated by the failures that allowed this evil to fester, and I am deeply sorry."

Ousted Disney exec told DeSantis 'you're right' in fight with media giant

Alexandra Canal
·Senior Reporter
Wed, April 5, 2023 

Ousted Disney (DIS) executive Ike Perlmutter, who was let go as the company began its first round of mass layoffs last week, told Florida Governor Ron DeSantis he was "right" in his ongoing battle with the media giant.

In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, 80-year-old Perlmutter, who served as chairman of Marvel Entertainment, said he told the governor last year: "Ron, you’re right. Disney doesn’t have the right to get involved with politics, and you know, I’m the largest individual shareholder."

Perlmutter, who owns a reported 30 million shares of the company, equating to roughly $3 billion, said he warned executives, "Don’t get involved in politics. You’re going to get hurt. It’s a no-win situation."

Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter, an Israeli-American billionaire, and the CEO of Marvel, walks down the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., Monday, Feb. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Perlmutter's comments come after CEO Bob Iger defended the company's actions during its annual meeting of shareholders on Monday.

"A company has a right to freedom of speech just like individuals do," Iger said, adding DeSantis' policies are "anti-business" and "anti-Florida" as the politician looks to strip Disney of its self-governing powers.

The fight stems from what has largely been seen as a politically-targeted response over the Disney's reaction to the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, which forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade. In 2022, then-CEO Bob Chapek denounced it at the company's annual shareholder meeting after initially deciding not to speak publicly on the matter.

In response, DeSantis signed a bill into law that allows him to take control of the company's long-standing special tax district, formerly known as Reedy Creek.

Earlier on Monday, DeSantis asked Florida's inspector general to look into a last minute agreement signed by the previous Reedy Creek board that essentially renders the new oversight committee, appointed by DeSantis, powerless.

Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger attends the European premiere of "The Lion King" in London, Britain July 14, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

The company is looking to slash $5.5 billion in costs. More job cuts will hit the media giant later this month and right before the summer to reach the previously announced 7,000-job target, Iger said in an internal memo obtained by Yahoo Finance.

In addition to the layoffs announced in February, Disney also disclosed plans to restructure the organization into three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.

At the time, Iger said the new strategic organization, "will result in a more cost-effective coordinated and streamlined approach to our operations."

Perlmutter told The Journal he's convinced he was fired because he pushed for more aggressive cost-cutting: "I have no doubt that my termination was based on fundamental differences in business between my thinking and Disney leadership, because I care about return on investment."

Perlmutter said he repeatedly expressed concerns over the company's excessive spending, particularly around its Marvel film productions.

"All they talk about is box office, box office," Perlmutter said. "I care about the bottom line. I don’t care how big the box office is. Only people in Hollywood talk about box office."

Overall, Perlmutter said his firing was "merely a convenient excuse to get rid of a longtime executive who dared to challenge the company’s way of doing business."

The former executive's concerns echoed those of activist Nelson Peltz, who staged a highly publicized proxy battle with Disney in an effort to push for additional cost cuts, operational adjustments, a post-Iger successor, and a reinstatement of the company's dividend.

Peltz officially ended his fight in February after the company announced its restructuring plans.

"My experience with any major corporation, when they’re having problems and they don’t have the free cash or whatever it is, usually people like Nelson Peltz know how to put it back on track," Perlmutter said.

"I learned one thing about creative people my whole life: You cannot give them an open credit card.…They’re doing this for 30 years, why would they change?"

BULLSHIT! IT'S SUBSCRIBER BASED
NPR protests as Twitter calls it 'state-affiliated media'

LIKE CKUA

The Canadian Press
Wed, April 5, 2023 



NEW YORK (AP) — Twitter has labeled National Public Radio as “state-affiliated media” on the social media site, a move some worried Wednesday could undermine public confidence in the news organization.

NPR said it was disturbed to see the description added to all of the tweets that it sends out, with John Lansing, its president and CEO, calling it “unacceptable for Twitter to label us this way.”

It was unclear why Twitter made the move. Twitter's owner, Elon Musk, quoted a

definition of state-affiliated media in the company's guidelines as “outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution.”

“Seems accurate,” Musk tweeted in a reply to NPR.

NPR does receive U.S. government funding through grants from federal agencies and departments, along with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The company said it accounts for less than 1% of NPR’s annual operating budget. But until Wednesday, the same Twitter guidelines said that “state-financed media organizations with editorial independence, like the BBC in the UK or NPR in the United States, are not defined as state-affiliated media for the purposes of this policy.”

NPR has now been removed from that sentence on Twitter's website.

Asked for comment, Twitter’s press office responded with an automated poop emoji.

The move came just days after Twitter stripped The New York Times of its verification check mark.

“NPR and our member stations are supported by millions of listeners who depend on us for the independent, fact-based journalism we provide,” Lansing said. “NPR stands for freedom of speech and holding the powerful accountable.”

The literary organization PEN America, in calling for Twitter to reverse the move, underlined that NPR “assiduously maintains editorial independence.”

Liz Woolery, PEN America’s digital policy leader, said Twitter's decision was “a dangerous move that could further undermine public confidence in reliable news sources.”

David Bauder, The Associated Press