Latest news with #YouMeBumBumTrain
Metro
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
‘How I turned a rant about Nigel Farage into a rave tune'
I had no idea what I was in for when I first stepped foot into the House of Life. It was 2024 and my first time at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where my friends and I were popping our Fringe cherries. We'd already spent one afternoon wincing at the first comic to lure us into their one-man show, so it hadn't been the start we hoped for. Thankfully, we met with someone in the know, who had an Excel spreadsheet of shows they wanted to see and at the top of that list was a queer cabaret called House of Life. It turned out to be the most unexpected fun I've had in 60 minutes – and more powerful than therapy. For anyone who missed out on the cult immersive – and very secretive -experience, You Me Bum Bum Train, because you're not Madonna, Katy Perry or Jeff Bezos, House of Life is another show with the same power to change your direction. And you don't need to sign an NDA to see it. Later this month, it comes to London's Soho Theatre for a five-night stint as part of its never-ending tour around the world. I'll admit it's practically impossible to put the concept into one box, but as founder Ben Welch explains to me: 'House of Life is a travelling musical collective with one mission to get you happy at any cost. Ultimately, it's an experience, it's about celebrating the people in the room, trying to find genuine connection and see what building a community in the room looks like.' Ben stars as the RaveRend or The Rev, draped in sequinned robes, silver boots, oversized yellow shades and a glittered beard. His sidekick is Trev, a socially awkward musician in a creased grey suit and tie who could be the fifth member of Interpol, played by Ben's real-life schoolmate Lawrence Cole. Music festival famous for helping launch Billie Eilish is coming to London – and you could win tickets We've teamed up with SXSW London to give away two pairs of Music Festival Wristbands valid for 2-7 June 2025. Headliners include Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Tems, Brit Award-winning artist Mabel, Crystal Castles's Alice Glass, and East London-based R&B artist NAO, plus emerging talent set to perform at showcase acts around Shoreditch. Click here to find out more about SXSW London's incredible events and how to enter to be in with a chance to win, or simply enter your details using the form below. *T&Cs apply. You have until midnight on Sunday 25th May 2025 to enter. Good luck! * Open to legal residents of Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland) aged 18 or over. Promotion opens at 06:01 BST on 13 May 2025 and closes at 23:59 BST on 25 May 2025. The promotion is free to enter; however internet access is required. Entrant must visit and when prompted by the form, submit their name, email, telephone number, date of birth and postcode. Acceptance of the terms and conditions (by ticking the relevant checkbox) is necessary to enter the promotion. 1 entry per person. 1 prize available per person. There will be two (2) winners. Each winner will win two (2) Full Week (6 days) Music Festival Wristbands (each such wristband worth £99) granting secondary access to Official SXSW London Music Festival showcases valid from 2 until 7 June 2025. Proof of age and photographic ID is required for entry (18+). The prize, including entry and attendance at SXSW, is subject to and governed by the SXSW's full ticket terms and conditions here. Full T&Cs apply, see here. The Rev hogs the spotlight, but their chemistry is the heart of House of Life. As The Rev greets everyone at the door, he smears glitter across their cheeks, and as my friends and I entered the House of Life, we immediately felt energised, intrigued and comforted knowing whatever we've let ourselves in for, we're in safe hands. Soon, The Rev had people all around me frankly sharing their biggest anxieties or anything they wanted to celebrate, be it a new job or the person sitting next to them. When it was my turn, he asked what was making me angry about the world in that moment. It was weeks after the general election, and without hesitation, I vented into the microphone: 'Nigel F**king Farage!' Moments later, my outburst had been mixed with a disco track, and the whole room was dancing to the record I didn't know I had in me on loop. The beauty of House of Life is that each show is completely different to the last. The Rev steers the ship, but the audience decides the journey by sharing their own experience. The music is inspired by whatever people get off their chest, with Trev on the track and The Rev belting out lyrics on the spot with unbelievably quick improvisation and the gusto of Tom Jones. Many who have been there once, like me, need to experience it again. And again. Ben recalls: 'We had one woman at the end of the run in Edinburgh who had been travelling the world and said to me, 'I've been really lost, I've been depressed, asking myself, what am I doing? I don't know where I'm going, but now I feel like it just doesn't matter because I've got people around me here, and this show taught me to just grab life and enjoy it. So many strangers have given me so much joy and love.'' During the show, audience members are also asked to visualise what they want from life. At one performance, a woman told The Rev she visualised leaving her job and going travelling. Later, she got in touch to tell him it was 'the best thing I ever did'. Since its successful Edinburgh run, the world wants a bite of the show's contagious joy. The Rev and Trev have just travelled around Norway, where they're 'a bit more reserved'. 'But they were so in it and listening,' adds Ben. 'Once they knew that was the task, they celebrated their friends and talked beautifully about their lives and dreams.' Next, they'll be heading to the queer venues of New York, surely the natural setting for a sermon held by a gay and glittered gospel singer. Listening to Ben's story, it becomes clear that House of Life was the inevitable path he was meant to tread. As a teen, he was accepted at Television Workshop in Nottingham, the training ground for local stars such as Jack O'Connell, Bella Ramsey and Vicky McClure. He's played the Panto Dame in Liverpool, set up his own company called Sheep Soup with his collaborator Nic Harvey, taking independent shows to places like Fringe, and in between projects, he's worked with vulnerable young people to encourage them to pursue creative outlets. His dad died shortly before his first child was about to be born, at a time when the world was beginning to crawl out of the coronavirus pandemic. 'I was performing as an actor, other people's material, hosting events and working with the community, they were all bubbling away and that was the creation of House of Life,' Ben explains. 'Then my first child was about to be born, and my dad passed away. It was a real shift moment. I thought, 'I have to do this because who knows what time we have left?'' After I went to the Fringe show, I felt more inspired than I had been in years. Ideas suddenly poured out of me for days, and I've since left my job to pursue many of them. The holistic experience has stayed with me ever since. In the House of Life, it is the music that carries you. If Ben's booming voice and performance weren't as good as it is, the rest wouldn't land. The tunes are infectious and slap as hard as they help. When he was 14, like every aspiring millennial singer, he auditioned for The X Factor. 'I went to Aston Villa's football ground with my mum and tried to sing Valerie, but it was awful.' Eventually, he recovered and took a dark comedy to the Fringe. He'd sing covers of tracks from the time, like Gnarls Barkley's inescapable Crazy on the Edinburgh mile, to promote it. Naturally, people asked: 'Is there song in the show?' They'd missed a trick. 'So we made this show, Mrs Green, about an old woman who was an ex-Motown soul singer and grew marihuana for her arthritis and was an agony aunt for the community. I played Mrs Green and developed my singing and songwriting during that process.' His voice is a clear nod to the female Black singers of the 60s and 70s, such as Aretha Franklin and Donna Summer. If you want a good time, come for the music alone and leave nourished in funk and disco. The pair have already built their label, signed a distribution deal with Universal Records. Those tracks that have helped so many already will soon be bursting out of the confinement of venues and into streaming services for everyone. The possibilities are endless and are beginning to feel well within Ben's grasp. 'We have a plan to set House of Life off in the world as much as possible,' he adds. 'Maybe there are different versions in different places, but we're just going to keep following our nose because we're having the best time.' House of Life returns to London's Soho Theatre on May 27 til May 31.
Metro
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
'How I turned a rant about Nigel Farage into a rave tune'
I had no idea what I was in for when I first stepped foot into the House of Life. It was 2024 and my first time at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where me and some friends were popping our Fringe cherries. We'd already spent one afternoon wincing at the first comic to lure us into their one-man show, so it hadn't been the start we hoped for. Thankfully, we met with someone in the know, who had an Excel spreadsheet of shows they wanted to see and at the top of that list was a queer cabaret called House of Life. It turned out to be the most unexpected fun I've had in 60 minutes – and more powerful than therapy. For anyone who missed out on the cult immersive – and very secretive -experience, You Me Bum Bum Train, because you're not Madonna, Katy Perry or Jeff Bezos, House of Life is another show with the same power to change your direction. And you don't need to sign an NDA to see it. Later this month, it comes to London's Soho Theatre for a five-night stint as part of its never-ending tour around the world. I'll admit it's practically impossible to put the concept into one box, but as founder Ben Welch explains to me: 'House of Life is a travelling musical collective with one mission to get you happy at any cost. Ultimately, it's an experience, it's about celebrating the people in the room, trying to find genuine connection and see what building a community in the room looks like.' Ben stars as the RaveRend or The Rev, draped in sequinned robes, silver boots, oversized yellow shades and a glittered beard. His sidekick is Trev, a socially awkward musician in a creased grey suit and tie who could be the fifth member of Interpol, played by Ben's real-life schoolmate Lawrence Cole. The Rev hogs the spotlight, but their chemistry is the heart of House of Life. As The Rev greets everyone at the door, he smears glitter across their cheeks, and as my friends and I entered the House of Life, we immediately felt energised, intrigued and comforted knowing whatever we've let ourselves in for, we're in safe hands. Soon, The Rev had people all around me frankly sharing their biggest anxieties or anything they wanted to celebrate, be it a new job or the person sitting next to them. When it was my turn, he asked what was making me angry about the world in that moment. It was weeks after the general election, and without hesitation, I vented into the microphone: 'Nigel F**king Farage!' Moments later, my outburst had been mixed with a disco track, and the whole room was dancing to the record I didn't know I had in me on loop. The beauty of House of Life is that each show is completely different to the last. The Rev steers the ship, but the audience decides the journey by sharing their own experience. The music is inspired by whatever people get off their chest, with Trev on the track and The Rev belting out lyrics on the spot with unbelievably quick improvisation and the gusto of Tom Jones. Many who have been there once, like me, need to experience it again. And again. Ben recalls: 'We had one woman at the end of the run in Edinburgh who had been travelling the world and said to me, 'I've been really lost, I've been depressed, asking myself, what am I doing? I don't know where I'm going, but now I feel like it just doesn't matter because I've got people around me here, and this show taught me to just grab life and enjoy it. So many strangers have given me so much joy and love.'' During the show, audience members are also asked to visualise what they want from life. At one performance, a woman told The Rev she visualised leaving her job and going travelling. Later, she got in touch to tell him it was 'the best thing I ever did'. Since its successful Edinburgh run, the world wants a bite of the show's contagious joy. The Rev and Trev have just travelled around Norway, where they're 'a bit more reserved'. 'But they were so in it and listening,' adds Ben. 'Once they knew that was the task, they celebrated their friends and talked beautifully about their lives and dreams.' Next, they'll be heading to the queer venues of New York, surely the natural setting for a sermon held by a gay and glittered gospel singer. Listening to Ben's story, it becomes clear that House of Life was the inevitable path he was meant to tread. As a teen, he was accepted at Television Workshop in Nottingham, the training ground for local stars such as Jack O'Connell, Bella Ramsey and Vicky McClure. He's played the Panto Dame in Liverpool, set up his own company called Sheep Soup with his collaborator Nic Harvey, taking independent shows to places like Fringe, and in between projects, he's worked with vulnerable young people to encourage them to pursue creative outlets. His dad died shortly before his first child was about to be born, at a time when the world was beginning to crawl out of the coronavirus pandemic. 'I was performing as an actor, other people's material, hosting events and working with the community, they were all bubbling away and that was the creation of House of Life,' Ben explains. 'Then my first child was about to be born, and my dad passed away. It was a real shift moment. I thought, 'I have to do this because who knows what time we have left?'' After I went to the Fringe show, I felt more inspired than I had been in years. Ideas suddenly poured out of me for days, and I've since left my job to pursue many of them. The holistic experience has stayed with me ever since. In the House of Life, it is the music that carries you. If Ben's booming voice and performance weren't as good as it is, the rest wouldn't land. The tunes are infectious and slap as hard as they help. When he was 14, like every aspiring millennial singer, he auditioned for The X Factor. 'I went to Aston Villa's football ground with my mum and tried to sing Valerie, but it was awful.' Eventually, he recovered and took a dark comedy to the Fringe. He'd sing covers of tracks from the time, like Gnarls Barkley's inescapable Crazy on the Edinburgh mile, to promote it. Naturally, people asked: 'Is there song in the show?' They'd missed a trick. 'So we made this show, Mrs Green, about an old woman who was an ex-Motown soul singer and grew marihuana for her arthritis and was an agony aunt for the community. I played Mrs Green and developed my singing and songwriting during that process.' More Trending His voice is a clear nod to the female Black singers of the 60s and 70s, such as Aretha Franklin and Donna Summer. If you want a good time, come for the music alone and leave nourished in funk and disco. The pair have already built their label, signed a distribution deal with Universal Records. Those tracks that have helped so many already will soon be bursting out of the confinement of venues and into streaming services for everyone. The possibilities are endless and are beginning to feel well within Ben's grasp. 'We have a plan to set House of Life off in the world as much as possible,' he adds. 'Maybe there are different versions in different places, but we're just going to keep following our nose because we're having the best time.' House of Life returns to London's Soho Theatre on May 27 til May 31. MORE: 'Heartwarming' new comedy storms up Netflix chart with staggering 20,000,000 views MORE: US comedian feels 'ignorant' after wearing blackface on TV MORE: British comedian, 68, secretly marries longtime partner after 24 years together
Scottish Sun
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Declan Rice & Lauren Fryer's pals reveal toll of online abuse on relationship & truth about THOSE X-Factor star rumours
Lauren was forced off social media after vile trolls told the Arsenal star to dump her and get an 'upgrade' - but the abuse and rumours didn't stop there TROLL HELL Declan Rice & Lauren Fryer's pals reveal toll of online abuse on relationship & truth about THOSE X-Factor star rumours IT started out as an innocent TikTok video - posted on a fan account - showing Declan Rice canoodling with his long-term partner Lauren Fryer. But days later, unfounded accusations linking Rice to an X Factor popstar began appearing in the suggested search bar below it - vicious rumours fuelled by a greedy social media algorithm. 8 Midfielder Declan Rice and girlfriend Lauren Fryer have been together since 2017 Credit: Instagram @laurenfryer_ 8 Declan pictured on a luxury yacht with girlfriend Lauren while holidaying in Formentera in 2021 Credit: BackGrid 8 Lauren, the mother of Declan's toddler son, has rarely been seen in public since being bullied off social media 8 Vicious, unfounded accusations linking Rice to an X Factor popstar began appearing on TikTok Credit: Getty While many of the bonkers headlines that appear on the app - including 'Tom Cruise dead' and 'Katie Price confirms pregnancy' - are obviously fabricated by clickbait-hungry AI machines built to increase engagement on the Chinese social media site, this one gained unwanted - and unwarranted - traction. A year has passed since Lauren was forced off social media after being fat-shamed by vile online trolls who cruelly told the Arsenal star to dump her in favour of an 'upgrade'. Lauren, the mother of Declan's toddler son, has rarely been seen in public since. Perhaps bots - knowing the furore that ensued following the horrific incident last year - are smart enough to know spinning a web of lies about her clearly besotted partner would get football fans clicking. Lauren was briefly seen in the stands at the Euros in Germany last year, when Declan ran to hug her after England's victory over Switzerland in the quarter-finals. It was a rare occurrence, as friends say Lauren will never put herself in a position where she can be hung out to dry in the court of public opinion. Meanwhile, Declan has been seen letting his hair down following the Euros at Wayne Lineker's Ocean Beach in Ibiza - and contacts tell me he mingled with the A list at You Me Bum Bum Train in February. These two outings were enough to fuel the fires amongst the cesspit of social media bullies. 'The torment Lauren endured because of those pathetic people was horrific,' one confidante tells me. 'She had never lived a public life, so to be torn apart on social media felt even more unfair. Inside Declan Rice and Lauren Fryer's romance 'Lauren wasn't the kind of WAG you saw out and about, or going to big events or fashion shows. That wasn't her style. 'She virtually lived in the shadows anyway. To then be attacked so viciously and with such fury left a lasting mark.' Lauren is expected to be among the guests at Dani Dyer and Jarrod Bowen's huge wedding later this month - but it's unlikely she'll be pictured on the WAG social channels afterwards. 'Lauren has managed to carefully navigate life now where she is present at events but isn't seen,' the friend continues. 'Those close to her know she doesn't want to be shared in pictures unless they are on totally private accounts. 'She has her own private account which is just for her friends and family but she'd never share things publicly again. 'It's not because she's scared, it's because she just wants a quiet life doing what she loves with Declan and their family.' Relationship timeline Rice and Lauren have been together for eight years: 2016 - Rice and childhood sweetheart Lauren get together as teenagers May, 2017 - Rice makes his West Ham debut in a clash with Burnley March, 2019 - The Hammers ace makes his England debut after switching allegiances from the Republic of Ireland August, 2022 - Rice confirms the birth of his son, Jude November, 2022 - Lauren heads to Qatar to support her man at the World Cup July, 2023 - Rice leaves West Ham to join Arsenal, with Lauren regularly supporting him at games at the Emirates April, 2024 - Lauren wipes her Instagram account after vile bullying by trolls A quick glance at social media this morning shows the trolls have still not abated when it comes to stirring up egregious and unsubstantiated rumours about Lauren and her relationship with Declan - who she started dating as a teenager in 2017. On TikTok, the completely false allegations he 'cheated' with a former X Factor star are rife, while the no-marks who use gossip cesspit Tattle Life continue to stir up rubbish about their nine-year relationship. 'It's pathetic,' a friend says. 'But it's all nonsense. 'Don't these people have something better to do? Get a life and stop typing out b*****ks on your iPhone.' Lauren's private Instagram account has 295 followers, showing just how tightly she keeps her inner circle. Arsenal star Bukayo Saka's girlfriend Tolami Benson is among those who keep up to date with the account, along with Kennedy Alexa - the partner of Spurs star James Madison - and, of course, Jarrod's fiancée Dani. By contrast, Lauren's old public account has almost 100,000 followers, but features no photographs. Previously, Lauren liked to share posts - glamorous selfies and snaps of her and Declan with their beloved cockapoo Raffa covered her grid. 8 Previously Lauren liked to share posts, glamorous selfies and snaps of her and Declan with their beloved cockapoo Raffa Credit: Instagram @laurenfryer_ 8 Declan would regularly comment underneath her photographs with love heart emojis Credit: Instagram @laurenfryer_ Declan would regularly comment underneath her photographs with fire and love heart emojis. Underneath one picture, he wrote: 'Your support has been incredible, couldn't ask for better.' But a year ago, Lauren deleted all the photographs and memories she had shared. The decision was a reaction to the brutal and downright disgusting barrage of hate aimed at her after snaps of her and Declan on holiday four months prior. The comments on Instagram were far worse, and from behind their anonymous usernames, the lowlife keyboard warriors went on the attack. But while Lauren and Declan ignored the barrage of hate, it changed after quotes - purporting to be from Declan - started to circulate online with ferocity. The hate and the awful comments was one thing. But this whole saga meant the conversation just kept rolling on and people started picking apart Lauren and Declan's relationship. At the time, thousands believed the quotes - allegedly given by Declan at a press conference - were real. During the work of fictional nonsense, an internet idiot claimed Declan had hit back and said: 'My woman is the love of my life, and there is no upgrade that exists for me.' In truth, the press conference never happened. Declan never addressed what was being said and everything shared or written about it is completely false. It didn't stop the quotes from being shared thousands of times online - fuelling what had already become a painful and incessant barrage of nonsense. Just three days after this rumour first started, Lauren deleted her entire account. INCESSANT BARRAGE 'It all got too much,' a friend explains. 'The hate and the awful comments was one thing. But this whole saga meant the conversation just kept rolling on and people started picking apart Lauren and Declan's relationship. 'Bloggers started picking up the quotes as fact which meant it was being shared even more widely, even though the wider media ignored it because it was totally untrue. 'The sheer scale of it all became too ridiculous for words.' The deletion saw an outpouring of love and support for Lauren, from the tens of thousands of people who genuinely took an interest in Lauren's life and her posts. 'Lauren Fryer you are a beautiful young woman,' one wrote online. 'Stay strong.' 8 Arsenal's Declan Rice has had a good woman behind him in Lauren throughout his career Credit: PA 8 Lauren's private Instagram account has 295 followers, showing just how tightly she keeps her inner circle Credit: Lauren Fryer Instagram Another added: 'Appreciation post for this beautiful woman Lauren Fryer. 'We're sorry to see that in 2024 women are still subject to so many disgusting comments.' It was so hard for her [Lauren], the trolling, as she doesn't put herself out there. Dani Dyer The damage was done however, and while Lauren is still occasionally active on the account - she only comments and posts within her private domain. Her good friend Dani, who bonded with Lauren at last year's Euros, spoke out in her defence after the competition and told us: 'It was so hard for her, the trolling, as she doesn't put herself out there. 'I think it's harder when you are not in [the celebrity world] and you are being personally attacked. I found that hard. 'She is a really good mum, who keeps to herself. No one deserves to be criticised like that. 'It was so cruel. 'Attacking a girl because of what she looks like, in this day and age, I don't agree with it. 'She got a lot of support from all of us, which she definitely needed.' Those close to Lauren say she has no interest in ever putting herself into the public domain again - and after all of this, who could blame her?
Euronews
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
The end of the op-ed: LA Times uses AI to counteract its own views
ADVERTISEMENT Want to read a contrasting view on the insightful opinion piece you just found? Traditionally, you would have had to find another publication with a different political slant and search for an op-ed on the same topic. Those days might be numbered as a new feature on the Los Angeles Times website offers an immediate rebuttal to their journalists' work through an AI assistant. Is this the future of opinion journalism, or have we entered into a parallel universe where even rhetoric is fully supplanted by the machines? In the LA Times opinion section is an article by Joan C. Williams, a law professor at University of California College of the Law in San Francisco. In the piece , Williams argues that Democrats need to understand the cultural angle of politics if they are ever to understand Donald Trump's 2024 presidential election victory. 'Democrats need to rival Trump's cultural competence at connecting with the working class, which will require changes from progressives,' she writes, as she explains that the left is failing to see the human side of the right's arguments to a broad span of American voters. Related Washington Post op-ed writer quits after paper refuses to publish piece critical of Bezos Volunteer actors rail against Jeff Bezos private performance of 'You Me Bum Bum Train' It's an insightful and well researched piece that speaks from Williams' academic perspective. Exactly the sort you'd expect from an opinion section. What's new is a little button labelled 'Insights'. Click that and you're whisked to the bottom of the page where the LA Times gives you an 'AI-generated analysis on Voices content to offer all points of view'. In the Insights, you are told that Williams' piece 'generally aligns with a centre left point of view' as well as a summary of her points. Most intriguingly, there's a section that gives you opposing views. There it points out that while Williams thinks Democrats should focusing on uniting cultural theories, strategists like James Carville 'urge Democrats to avoid cultural distractions and concentrate exclusively on economic messaging while others reject the premise that cultural issues are irreconcilable, pointing to Biden-era successes in manufacturing and wage growth'. On that last point, the AI argues that 'conceding on issues like climate action or LGBTQ+ rights risks demoralizing the Democratic base and ceding ground to far-right narratives'. This sounds like an interesting point but it's directly contrasted by Williams' own writing where she notes that on inclusive messaging, Democrats 'didn't abandon their vision of full LGBTQ+ rights, but they did shift tactics to engage a wider range of people.' Whether the AI has fully grasped Williams' argument or not is up for debate, but most significant is the shift away from giving opinion writers a sense of authority on their topic. For many, this is part of a move to placate Trump's administration by LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong. Pharmaceuticals billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong waves as he arrives in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump in 2017 Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Soon-Shiong bought the paper in 2018 and last year decided it would not officially endorse Kamala Harris for president. 'If you just have the one side, it's just going to be an echo chamber,' the medical investor said. Going through the paper's opinion pieces today, the AI provides more opposing views. LA Times opinion columnist Jackie Calmes has a piece on the parallels between Hannah Arendt's view on Nazi Germany and the current Trump administration. ADVERTISEMENT AI Insights suggests Calmes' piece is 'centre left' and notes that 'Trump's actions, while norm-breaking, lack the systemic violence and ideological coherence of Hitler's regime'. Similarly, LA Times journalist LZ Granderson has a 'centre left' piece that criticised the Trump administration's removal of LGBTQ+ iconography and education from government bodies as a worrying shift towards un-American ideals of inclusion and openness. Contrasting this view, the AI suggests: 'Conservative advocates, including groups behind Project 2025, contend that LGBTQ+ visibility policies promote 'toxic normalization' and conflict with traditional family values.' While the opinion writers of the LA Times are still largely left leaning, the new AI feature is designed to platform both sides of an argument. Exactly as Soon-Shiong wanted. ADVERTISEMENT Back when the owner blocked the Harris endorsement, three of the six people who researched and wrote their editorials, including editorials editor Mariel Garza, resigned in protest. The other three have since left, with the last holdout, Carla Hall, exiting after writing a last column that ran on 30 March about homeless people she met while covering the issue. Washington Post owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos 2025 Invision Soon-Shiong's decision was mirrored by Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, who decided the newspaper would not back a presidential candidate. Last month, Ruth Marcus, who worked for the Washington Post since 1984, stood down after a row over the paper refusing to run an opinion piece that was critical of Bezos. She was the latest to leave the Post after Bezos announced that the paper's opinion columns would no longer be a free-for-all for individual author's thoughts. Instead, it would focus on two specific themes: 'personal liberties and free markets'. ADVERTISEMENT Between Soon-Shiong and Bezos, there is a clear move from the billionaire-owned US media landscape to cosy up to the Trump administration. It continues a pattern seen by the major tech and social media owners, including the Bezos-founded Amazon. Concerningly, it also highlights AI-obsessed owners' cynical attitude towards the work of journalists. 'I think it could be offensive both to readers ... and the writers themselves who object to being categorized in simple and not necessarily helpful terms,' Garza, the ex-editorials editor said. 'The idea of having a bias meter just in and of itself is kind of an insult to intelligence and I've always thought that the readers of the opinion page were really smart." ADVERTISEMENT
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The end of the op-ed: LA Times uses AI to counteract its own views
Want to read a contrasting view on the insightful opinion piece you just found? Traditionally, you would have had to find another publication with a different political slant and search for an op-ed on the same topic. Those days might be numbered as a new feature on the Los Angeles Times website offers an immediate rebuttal to their journalists' work through an AI assistant. Is this the future of opinion journalism, or have we entered into a parallel universe where even rhetoric is fully supplanted by the machines? In the LA Times opinion section is an article by Joan C. Williams, a law professor at University of California College of the Law in San Francisco. In the piece, Williams argues that Democrats need to understand the cultural angle of politics if they are ever to understand Donald Trump's 2024 presidential election victory. 'Democrats need to rival Trump's cultural competence at connecting with the working class, which will require changes from progressives,' she writes, as she explains that the left is failing to see the human side of the right's arguments to a broad span of American voters. Related Washington Post op-ed writer quits after paper refuses to publish piece critical of Bezos Volunteer actors rail against Jeff Bezos private performance of 'You Me Bum Bum Train' It's an insightful and well researched piece that speaks from Williams' academic perspective. Exactly the sort you'd expect from an opinion section. What's new is a little button labelled 'Insights'. Click that and you're whisked to the bottom of the page where the LA Times gives you an 'AI-generated analysis on Voices content to offer all points of view'. In the Insights, you are told that Williams' piece 'generally aligns with a centre left point of view' as well as a summary of her points. Most intriguingly, there's a section that gives you opposing views. There it points out that while Williams thinks Democrats should focusing on uniting cultural theories, strategists like James Carville 'urge Democrats to avoid cultural distractions and concentrate exclusively on economic messaging while others reject the premise that cultural issues are irreconcilable, pointing to Biden-era successes in manufacturing and wage growth'. On that last point, the AI argues that 'conceding on issues like climate action or LGBTQ+ rights risks demoralizing the Democratic base and ceding ground to far-right narratives'. This sounds like an interesting point but it's directly contrasted by Williams' own writing where she notes that on inclusive messaging, Democrats 'didn't abandon their vision of full LGBTQ+ rights, but they did shift tactics to engage a wider range of people.' Whether the AI has fully grasped Williams' argument or not is up for debate, but most significant is the shift away from giving opinion writers a sense of authority on their topic. For many, this is part of a move to placate Trump's administration by LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong. Soon-Shiong bought the paper in 2018 and last year decided it would not officially endorse Kamala Harris for president. 'If you just have the one side, it's just going to be an echo chamber,' the medical investor said. Going through the paper's opinion pieces today, the AI provides more opposing views. LA Times opinion columnist Jackie Calmes has a piece on the parallels between Hannah Arendt's view on Nazi Germany and the current Trump administration. AI Insights suggests Calmes' piece is 'centre left' and notes that 'Trump's actions, while norm-breaking, lack the systemic violence and ideological coherence of Hitler's regime'. Similarly, LA Times journalist LZ Granderson has a 'centre left' piece that criticised the Trump administration's removal of LGBTQ+ iconography and education from government bodies as a worrying shift towards un-American ideals of inclusion and openness. Contrasting this view, the AI suggests: 'Conservative advocates, including groups behind Project 2025, contend that LGBTQ+ visibility policies promote 'toxic normalization' and conflict with traditional family values.' While the opinion writers of the LA Times are still largely left leaning, the new AI feature is designed to platform both sides of an argument. Exactly as Soon-Shiong wanted. Back when the owner blocked the Harris endorsement, three of the six people who researched and wrote their editorials, including editorials editor Mariel Garza, resigned in protest. The other three have since left, with the last holdout, Carla Hall, exiting after writing a last column that ran on 30 March about homeless people she met while covering the issue. Soon-Shiong's decision was mirrored by Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, who decided the newspaper would not back a presidential candidate. Last month, Ruth Marcus, who worked for the Washington Post since 1984, stood down after a row over the paper refusing to run an opinion piece that was critical of Bezos. She was the latest to leave the Post after Bezos announced that the paper's opinion columns would no longer be a free-for-all for individual author's thoughts. Instead, it would focus on two specific themes: 'personal liberties and free markets'. Between Soon-Shiong and Bezos, there is a clear move from the billionaire-owned US media landscape to cosy up to the Trump administration. It continues a pattern seen by the major tech and social media owners, including the Bezos-founded Amazon. Concerningly, it also highlights AI-obsessed owners' cynical attitude towards the work of journalists. 'I think it could be offensive both to readers ... and the writers themselves who object to being categorized in simple and not necessarily helpful terms,' Garza, the ex-editorials editor said. 'The idea of having a bias meter just in and of itself is kind of an insult to intelligence and I've always thought that the readers of the opinion page were really smart."
