Director Charles Ferguson poses for a photo prior to an interview with the Associated Press about his movie 'Watergate" at the 2019 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
BERLIN (AP) --
Director Charles Ferguson thought Watergate had never "properly been done." The result is a documentary that explores the American presidential scandal in its full epic span and clocks in at more than four hours.
Ferguson, who directed the Oscar-winning financial crisis documentary "Inside Job," is presenting the film this week at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Titled "Watergate — Or: How We Learned to Stop an Out of Control President," it features extensive interviews with surviving players of the 1970s scandal and material from the tapes made by President Richard Nixon.
Ferguson told The Associated Press on Tuesday that while many books have been written and films made about Watergate, "there's never been one place where the entire story was told in a comprehensive way."
A man walks past Google's offices in London's Kings Cross area, on Aug. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Melley, File)
Google pledged to crack down on fake online reviews with tougher punishments for rogue reviewers and businesses that try to profit from them, British regulators said Friday following an investigation.
The Competition and Markets Authority said that Google has committed to "rigorous steps" to detect and remove sham reviews, so it can quickly identify and investigate businesses and reviewers trying to benefit from the phony posts.
Google will delete all reviews written by people who repeatedly write fake or misleading reviews — either positive or negative — for U.K. businesses, the watchdog said. These reviewers will also be banned from posting new reviews, whether or not they're in the U.K.
Businesses that try to artificially boost their star ratings will also face consequences. Warning alerts will be slapped on their Google profiles, and new reviews will not be allowed. And if they repeatedly engage in fake review activity, all their reviews for the past six months or more will be deleted, the CMA said.
Google's also adding a way for consumers to quickly and easily report shady reviews, including payments or rewards offered for a positive review.
"The changes we've secured from Google ensure robust processes are in place, so people can have confidence in reviews and make the best possible choices," the watchdog's CEO Sarah Cardell said. "They also help to create a level-playing field for fair dealing firms."
Google said its "longstanding investments to combat fraudulent content help us block millions of fake reviews yearly – often before they ever get published." The company said in a brief statement that its "work with regulators around the world, including the CMA, is part of our ongoing efforts to fight fake... Read More
