BREAKING: Meta has reached a tentative $17 billion settlement with nearly all U.S. states that would see the social media giant make sweeping changes to dramatically restrict kids’ access to Instagram and Facebook.

Meta agrees to pay $17B, adopt kids’ safety features to resolve states’ lawsuits

The tentative agreement is a massive concession from the tech giant.

politico.com

Room tone. Voices. Objects. Interference. Silence. What begins to form when we put them in the same space? Test a few answers at Radio Lear Sound Assembly on 2 September luma.com/user/radiolear #RadioLear #SoundAssembly

How should minority, local and dissenting voices be protected in a system promoting “trustworthy” news? What would prevent legitimate perspectives being excluded by institutional or political consensus? #WhoGetsHeard #BetterMedia forum.bettermedia.uk

How should media with civic or community value be funded without weakening its independence? Bring an example of a funding model, safeguard or trade-off we should examine. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

What helps valuable local media endure beyond one grant, one volunteer or one enthusiastic founder? Share a sustainable practice—or a pressure that threatens continuity. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

What would you like local media to notice, investigate or explain? Bring a story, question or idea to the Community Media Café this Thursday, 10.30 am–12 noon, at Bishop Street Chapel Café, Leicester. #CommunityMedia #LocalStories

The Community Media Café meets this Thursday. Join us for local stories, practical ideas and new connections from 10.30 am to 12 noon at Bishop Street Chapel Café, Leicester. Everyone welcome. #CommunityMediaCafe #Leicester

Where has a local media project made a practical difference—and what made it possible? Share the conditions, resources or relationships behind it. We will carry the evidence into Media Exchange. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

When does an invitation to participate create real influence rather than token consultation? What must people be able to shape, decide or challenge? Join the Media Exchange discussion. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

What would it mean to design media participation around accessibility from the start? Share an adjustment, tool or practice that opened access—or a barrier that still needs attention. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

How do we build a genuinely diverse media supply? What would help community, independent, commercial, co-operative and charitable providers remain viable and reach audiences? #WhoGetsHeard #BetterMedia forum.bettermedia.uk

The room opens again. Radio Lear Sound Assembly returns to Braunstone Gate Arches on Wednesday 2 September: collective listening, improvisation and experimental radio-making. Arrive from 6pm. Book: luma.com/user/radiolear #RadioLear #SoundAssembly

Media literacy is more than spotting false information. What should people understand about ownership, platforms, production and power? Bring your experience to Media Exchange. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

Which skills help people move from media audiences to active participants? Tell us what people need to make, question, organise or govern media—and where those skills can be learned. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

What would genuine media plurality look like where you live? Name the voices, formats, languages or kinds of ownership that are absent—and what would help them endure. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

What is one sound you noticed today? Tomorrow we open the Arches for listening, improvisation and experimental radio-making. Arrive from 6pm; activities run 6.30–8.30pm. Book free: luma.com/ql59k0eb

Should media providers be able to appeal platform decisions that reduce their visibility or access? What would a fair, independent and timely appeals process need to include? #WhoGetsHeard #BetterMedia forum.bettermedia.uk

What does meaningful local media accountability look like? Who sets priorities, checks accuracy and decides whether the service is meeting community needs? Share a practical model. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

Studios, transmitters, archives, broadband, platforms and meeting places shape who can speak and be heard. Which media infrastructure is essential in your community? forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

Who should own and control the media infrastructure communities rely on? What changes when ownership is local, public, mutual, commercial or platform-based? Bring your evidence. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

What does the canal send back? Water, traffic, reflections, fragments of speech and the underside of a bridge. We’ll listen for possible answers at the Arches on 19 August. Book free: luma.com/ql59k0eb

Are platform algorithms hiding local voices? If you create or distribute community, local or independent media, tell us what happens to your reach—and what transparency would help. #WhoGetsHeard #BetterMedia forum.bettermedia.uk

Trust is not a slogan. Which practices make a media organisation answerable to the people it serves? Share a working example—or a failure we can learn from—at Media Exchange. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

Who can participate in media—and who meets barriers of cost, connectivity, confidence or accessibility? Share what access looks like in practice and what would remove the obstacles. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

Can media trust be earned without public accountability? What should a provider disclose, correct or explain before receiving greater online prominence? Share the standards you would expect. #WhoGetsHeard #BetterMedia forum.bettermedia.uk

When does noise become a signal? Room tone, voices, objects, interference and silence will be tested, mixed and recorded at Radio Lear Sound Assembly. No musical training needed. Book free: luma.com/ql59k0eb

What does “Foundational Media” mean to you? A public service, civic infrastructure, a community practice—or something else? Bring a definition, example or challenge to Media Exchange. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

What should media provide before it asks for our attention? Join Media Exchange to explore the systems, resources and relationships our communities rely on. Fortnightly Wednesdays at 4pm UK time. forum.decentered.co.uk #FoundationalMedia

Who conducts an accidental ensemble? Perhaps nobody. Perhaps the room does. A glance, pause or outside sound might become the score. Join Radio Lear at the Arches on 19 August. Book free: luma.com/ql59k0eb

Come and chat every Thursday from 10.30am at Bishop Street Chapel Cafe, Leicester. Share your experience and ideas for community media.