Media News Daily: Top Stories for 10/30/2025

Times of London Retracts Fake de Blasio Interview

The Times of London issued an apology and retracted a fabricated interview that falsely quoted former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio criticizing Zohran Mamdani. De Blasio called the interview “entirely false and fabricated,” stating he never spoke to the reporter. The article was published after a case of impersonation misled the newspaper’s staff. The piece included false financial claims about Mamdani’s campaign, which other outlets quickly picked up before they were removed. De Blasio reiterated his support for Mamdani, who is leading in polls ahead of the November 4 election. (Read More) (The Hill Rating)

Adalytics Pushes to Dismiss DoubleVerify Defamation Suit

Analytics firm Adalytics is seeking the dismissal of a defamation and false advertising lawsuit brought by DoubleVerify over a March report that criticized pre-bid ad bot detection practices. Adalytics argues that DoubleVerify hasn’t disputed the report’s core finding—that ads were served to bots—only that it allegedly omitted key context about post-bid services. The company maintains the report was a fact-based opinion that doesn’t defame or mislead. DoubleVerify counters that omitting post-bid filtering implies its services are ineffective. The case, filed in Maryland federal court, hinges on whether Adalytics’ report implies falsehoods or is protected commentary. (Read More) (MediaPost Rating)

Authors’ Copyright Case Against OpenAI Moves Forward

A federal judge has ruled that authors including George R.R. Martin and David Baldacci may proceed with copyright claims against OpenAI, focusing on ChatGPT’s generation of book summaries and derivative content. The Authors Guild and others allege ChatGPT produced unauthorized outlines and summaries of their works, such as a prequel concept for Martin’s A Game of Thrones. OpenAI argued that the claims were too vague and that summaries do not inherently violate copyright. However, U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein ruled that a jury could find the outputs substantially similar to the original works, allowing the case to advance. (Read More) (MediaPost Rating)