About that fake Bella Hadid video
+ A giveaway for Dolly Alderton's new book!!
This morning I did something unusual which I loved: I got up and went to an early morning writing session in a bookstore here in Lisbon!! I actually really enjoyed it, there were candles lit, classical music was playing, and I was surrounded by a bunch of other people talking about how hard/ scary/ stressful writing is. Doing my best to get over this writer’s block and make this book cute and smart for you - hopefully we’re getting somewhere (though I had to warn the table of writers that if they saw tears running down my cheeks it was because I was working on a chapter about grief and not because of how frustrated I was!!)
SPEAKING OF READING/ WRITING, WE’RE GIVING AWAY 10 COPIES OF DOLLY ALDERTON’S NEW BOOK!
Ok so as you deffo know by now, we are HUGE Dolly Alderton fans (like, huuuuuge) so for all our NZ/ Aussie readers (sorry everyone else 🥺) we’ve got TEN copies of Dolly Alderton’s new book Good Material to give away (which is out on the 7th of November.) All you have to do is fill in this form here to get in the draw!!!!
We should chat about AI and misinformation then, I guess
As always, where to get trusted information on Israel-Palestine
Bel Chimes In: What’s YOUR Haunted House?
The best Halloween outfit of 2023 goes to…
Are we amusing ourselves to death?
OMG AND HUGE CHICKEN BASED INTERVIEW CROSSOVER INCOMING
We should chat about AI and misinformation then, I guess
The other day on Twitter I saw this:
And it honestly sent the shits up me. It’s a fake video of Bella Hadid ‘saying’ (but to be clear - NOT saying):
“I apologize for my past remarks. This tragedy has opened my eyes to the pain endured here, and I stand with Israel against terror. I’ve taken time to truly learn the historical context, now with a clearer understanding I hope we can engage in constructive dialogue moving forward.”
The imagery comes from a video of Bella Hadid giving a speech at the 2016 Global Lyme Alliance Awards, but what we hear is something totally unrelated. It’s an AI-generated version of her voice, as well as what looks like deepfake technology, which has been used to make it look as though she’s saying these words - and the fake video has been viewed 19 million times on Twitter (X.) Anyone who follows Bella, whose father is Palestinian, knows that she has been very vocal about her support for Palestine, and to see words LITERALLY being put into her mouth and her likeness used against her is a completely new territory of misinformation - and one we knew was coming.
If people are feeling like they can’t trust the news, are having to discern what’s real or not with AI-generated media like this, and are being incidentally exposed to hot takes on TikTok from people hoping to go viral after their 9-5 finishes, I can confidently say that things in the news/media industry are not feeling good right now.
As always, here’s where to get trusted information on Israel-Palestine:
Pointing you to the journalists out there who are covering this in-depth (have taken on a LOT of your suggestions, so thank you!)
A piece I read and loved: to bear witness
Explanations Are Not Excuses (Intelligencer)
Bel Chimes In: What’s YOUR Haunted House?
This section is written by my crush, the refreshing-as-a-house-chardonnay-on-a-steamy-day, Bel Hawkins. She also writes our Sunday newsletter ‘No News is Good News’ which all our paying supporters receive. Upgrade your plan to get her newsy here!
Crushes!
Zomg simply cannot believe I’m quilling you this from the beginning of November! And if you hadn’t had the perfunctory discussion about how time moves so fast etc etc yet, I’m honoured to be that person for you!
So, you know I’m not much of a Holidays Girl (except Valentine’s Day, which is gushy and embarrassing, I know, whatever) but I will say, I simply adored catching the trains this weekend in Amsterdam, a little drunk on espresso martinis, seeing all the costumes and feeling like I was narrating my own horror movie in my head. It was giving… Jumanji.
In the meantime, I wanted to bring you my favourite type of meme circulating at the moment, which is basically what different people’s version of a haunted house is. They’ve been bringing me immense amounts of joy and have since turned into a daily competition between Luce and I about what our worst-case scenario is:
Welcoming all contributions. The best haunted house wins.
Love u! See you for No News Is Good News this weekend and Bookies for some extra gorge Book Club carry-on this week. Xox
The best Halloween outfit of 2023 goes to…
Speaking of Halloween, the best outfit of 2023 goes to Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker who dressed up as Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande:
Are we amusing ourselves to death?
Just finishing this newsy with an essay that you should read by Madison Huizinga of
𓆩♡𓆪
I find it challenging to eat alone without watching an episode of a TV show or a YouTube video. I find it dull taking the subway without my AirPods tucked into my ears, blaring a song I’ve heard a thousand times as I wait for the train. Even as I make my breakfast, I stir my oatmeal to the rhythm of a podcast episode, drowning out organic thoughts with the thoughts of others. Every second of my day is an opportunity to be entertained. As Neil Postman predicted, I’m quite literally amusing myself to death.
OMG AND HUGE CHICKEN BASED INTERVIEW CROSSOVER INCOMING
Chicken Shop Date x Hot Ones noooo way
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Thank you so much for the shoutout :) glad my essay resonated with you! Great pop culture round up!
I haven't seen zomg in ages. Thank you for that nostalgia hit.