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By Scott Malone and Tim Baysinger (Reuters) --  PepsiCo pulled a commercial featuring model Kendall Jenner on Wednesday after the ad prompted outrage and ridicule from those who said it trivialized rights protests and public unrest in the United States. The ad, released late on Tuesday, shows the fashion celebrity and reality TV star in a photo shoot when she sees protesters marching. Removing her wig and makeup, Jenner joins the crowd and hands a baseball cap-wearing police officer a can of Pepsi, prompting him to smile while marchers cheer and hug. "Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding," the company said in a statement. "Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are removing the content and halting any further rollout." Pepsi also apologized to Jenner. A representative for Jenner did not return a call for comment. The spot drew criticism on Twitter, with users sa...

By David Ingram | SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -- Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) is launching a faster version of its mobile service on Wednesday aimed at people with sporadic connections or little data on their smartphone plans, hoping to pick up users in harder-to-reach emerging markets. The company calls the version Twitter Lite and it will be aimed largely at users outside the United States. Twitter Lite works through a web browser, not a stand-alone phone application, but its appearance and functionality are nearly identical to what app users experience, according to a preview shown to Reuters. The launch comes on the heels of similar products from other U.S. tech firms. Facebook Inc (FB.O) released Facebook Lite in 2015 and on Tuesday, Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) YouTube unveiled a low-data mobile app designed for India. San Francisco-based Twitter lags behind those companies in building a user base. It had 319 million average monthly active users at the end of last year, up 4 percent year-ove...

By David Ingram | SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -- Facebook Inc (FB.O) is adding tools on Wednesday to make it easier for users to report so-called "revenge porn" and to automatically prevent the images from being shared again once they have been banned, the company said. "Revenge porn" refers to the sharing of sexually explicit images on the internet, without the consent of the people depicted in the pictures, in order to extort or humiliate them. The practice disproportionately affects women, who are sometimes targeted by former partners. Facebook has been sued in the United States and elsewhere by people who said it should have done more to prevent the practice. The company in 2015 made clear that images "shared in revenge" were forbidden, and users have long had the ability to report posts as violating the terms of service. Beginning on Wednesday, users of the world's largest social network should see an option to report a picture as inappropriate specif...

More than 30 advertisers have fled the airwaves of “The O’Reilly Factor,” the most popular cable television show on the most popular cable network, after a New York Times report on previously unknown sexual harassment allegations against the host spurred yet another woman to step forward. According to The Washington Post , big brand names like Eli Lilly, Mercedes-Benz and Allstate are among the companies seeking distance from O’Reilly in an unusually bold snub that could create financial woes for the conservative firebrand and his bosses. In its statements about pulling its “O’Reilly Factor” advertising, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai both called the allegations “disturbing.” Credit Karma used the word “concerning.” And many companies said they prioritized “diversity,” “a respectful and inclusive workplace environment” and only advertising on programs consistent with their “core values.” But one company has publicly announced the opposite, reported CNN Money. Angie’s List, the Indianapol...

Rep. Maxine Waters Fox News host Bill O'Reilly may have apologized for saying Maxine Waters had a "James Brown wig," but Wednesday night the California congresswoman performed the big payback, according to USAToday . "Bill O'Reilly needs to go to jail," Waters said in an interview on MSNBC's All In with Chris Hayes, in which she also called O'Reilly's network a "sexual harassment enterprise." O'Reilly, whose comments about Water's hair were widely condemned, is currently in the media spotlight after The New York Times reported that he and Fox paid five women $13 million to settle harassment or other allegations against the star pundit. Advertisers have been fleeingThe O'Reiilly Factor since the allegations surfaced. The report about O'Reilly comes less than a year after Fox News' former chairman Roger Ailes was ousted following a sexual harassment lawsuit. Waters comments came in response to a question about Presiden...

The Bill O'Reilly sexual harassment story is "just the latest example of the symbiotic relationship between Fox News and Trump," Seth Meyers said on Wednesday's Late Night. Accord to The Week , he began with President Trump's well-documented devotion to Fox & Friends — presumably, Meyers said, because the Fox News morning hosts "routinely give him sycophantic coverage." In return for their "glowing, unquestioning coverage," he said, Trump gives them "unparalleled access. And they'll go to absurd lengths to defend him." That defense doesn't always go as planned, as when Eric Bolling tried to compare Trump's first quarter with former President Barack Obama's and it backfired. Meyers highlighted the absurdity by comparing Trump and George Washington. "So Fox is basically the closest we have to state TV," he said. The network does have some fine journalists, Meyers conceded, citing Shep Smith and Chris Wallac...

More than 3.76 million people tuned in to Tuesday night’s “The O’Reilly Factor,” an increase of 20% from the same day’s telecast last week, according to data from Nielsen Media Research. The spike comes despite a very public backlash to a Saturday New York Times report  that five women had received payments coming to about $13 million in exchange for agreeing not to pursue litigation or speak about accusations related to sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior by O’Reilly, the veteran Fox News broadcaster who is the linchpin of the network’s primetime lineup. O’Reilly in a statement said his fame had made him a target, but that no complaint about him had ever been made through Fox’s human-resources hotline. According Variety , his “Factor” broadcast Tuesday night captured an average of 628,000 viewers between the ages of 25 and 54, an increase of 11% from last week’s Tuesday-night audience.  What’s more, his show won more viewers overall than either ABC’s “Imaginary Mary” ...