James Ball
The Guardian
United Kingdom
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Past articles by James:
The Great Crashes by Linda Yueh review – preparing for the next crisis
A survey of the last 100 years of financial disasters shows that they’re a fact of life – but there are lessons to be learned → Read More
Twitter’s double standards under Elon Musk
The New Statesman has uncovered evidence that right-wing accounts are being treated differently. → Read More
It’s political suicide for Labour to ditch first past the post
Proportional representation would fracture the party and cut if off from its history. → Read More
Get ready for the next housing crisis: negative equity
As interest rates rise and mortgages become unaffordable, the whole system will start to crumble. → Read More
Stop anonymous briefings – government officials must be held accountable for their lies
The Christopher Pincher scandal has collapsed truth within government. → Read More
Two weeks, no smartphone: how I tried – and failed – to kick my screen addiction
James Ball spends countless hours a week staring at his iPhone. Would a fortnight with just old-school text messages and games of Snake shake him out of it? Plus! Five tips for resetting your tech life → Read More
Job’s a good’un: how LinkedIn transformed itself into a gen Z-friendly social media contender
Once regarded as a useful but dull tool for professional networking, the service has added features such as video profiles to attract a younger audience. But will it work? → Read More
Ten tech predictions for 2022: what’s next for Twitter, Uber and NFTs
The year ahead for the social media giants, podcasts and games – and will there be yet another hyped return for virtual reality? → Read More
What’s behind Geordie Greig’s ousting as Daily Mail editor?
The departure of the pro-Remain Greig serves as something of a last laugh for Paul Dacre. → Read More
Will Rupert Murdoch’s complaint to Ofcom over the BBC succeed?
Rupert Murdoch is, apparently, a man who is easily hurt. More than a year after the first broadcast of a three-part BBC documentary series – reminiscent of the slick HBO drama Succession – Murdoch is taking the BBC to the state-backed regulator Ofcom. The delay is the result of a months-long and multi-part process within the BBC’s internal complaints department, to which Murdoch initially… → Read More
Why the Paul Dacre Ofcom stand-off is a test for Boris Johnson
Just because technology companies dislike an idea doesn’t necessarily make it a good one. There can be no greater case in point than the appointment of a new chair for Ofcom – a usually boring process that has turned into both a saga and a showdown. The technology giants are said to have been lobbying behind the scenes against the appointment of former Daily Mail editor Paul → Read More
Substack: how the game-changer turned poacher
It started as a newsletter platform for unknown writers. Now it is becoming a media giant in its own right – with a reputation for luring big-name columnists to its ranks → Read More
David Cameron ‘never lobbied’ over UK-China business venture
Former prime minister told then chancellor Philip Hammond of proposed commercial investment fund at meeting in 2017 → Read More
David Lammy’s viral “racism” exchange with an LBC caller was likely no accident
We tend to view radio phone-ins as genuine moments of conflict. In reality, they are much more akin to the stage-managed world of professional wrestling. → Read More
Trump is banned, but can a revamp save Twitter from itself?
With the ex-president gone, the site is launching a flurry of new features – yet its reputation for abuse may endure → Read More
Why BuzzFeed and HuffPost’s decline wasn’t inevitable
The problem facing digital journalism isn’t the editorial content – it’s the business model. → Read More
How non-fungible tokens became the latest tech speculation bubble
From animated cats and sex tapes to major albums, artists are using NFTs to sell their work. But why? → Read More
Why Paul Dacre’s dream job as Ofcom chair could turn into a nightmare
The former Daily Mail editor is raring to stick it to the BBC and wade into the culture wars. Trouble is, that’s not actually what Ofcom does. → Read More
Big tech didn’t show its strength by banning Trump from social media. It showed its cowardice
Yes, companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter went too far — but not in the way you think → Read More
Trump's beef with TikTok is an existential threat to the internet
Comedians like Sarah Cooper have used the Chinese-owned social video app to make fun of the president, but there’s more at stake than his bruised ego → Read More