High-profile allegations increasingly trigger media commentary, corporate distancing and public judgments that can undermine the presumption of innocence long before any court has determined guilt. (more…)
Category: Media
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Climate resilience is missing a critical piece: care
Climate adaptation plans routinely overlook childcare, aged care and other essential services, leaving families and unpaid carers to absorb the human and economic costs when climate disasters strike. (more…)
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Storming the ramparts of legacy media
James Chessell’s move from the AFR to Joe Aston’s Rampart is another sign of a media landscape being remade. Smaller outlets, subscription models, podcasts, and independent publishers are challenging the power once held by newspapers, radio and television. (more…)
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The danger for CNN isn’t being shut down. It’s being silenced from within
CNN is set to join CBS News under the Ellisons’ ownership. With Trump openly hostile to critical coverage, the concern is not that the network will disappear, but that its journalists will face pressure to stop asking difficult questions. (more…)
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P&I is growing – and its independence still depends on you
P&I is reaching more readers, attracting younger voices and becoming an increasingly important part of Australia’s democratic conversation. But as John Menadue writes, our independence still depends entirely on reader support. (more…)
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Kostakidis case strikes a blow for free speech
The case against Mary Kostakidis has been discontinued without any finding that she breached the Racial Discrimination Act, ending a two-year legal battle over political expression and criticism of Israel. (more…)
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When menopause becomes a digital marketplace
Women seeking answers about menopause are entering a digital health landscape where intimate data, algorithmic predictions and aggressive marketing increasingly influence medical decisions, raising serious questions about privacy, autonomy and care. (more…)
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The writers and readers who remind us why P&I matters – Message from the Editor
From superannuation and Gaza to the gig economy – this week’s writers and readers show why independent journalism matters, and why P&I will remain free to read. (more…)
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Australia’s social media ban has an enforcement problem
New powers will help eSafety investigate whether platforms are enforcing the under-16 social media restrictions, but early evidence suggests the policy’s limits run deeper. (more…)
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When scrutiny of China ties becomes a loyalty test
Australia has good reason to scrutinise foreign interference risks, but professional, cultural and community ties should not become proxies for divided loyalty. (more…)
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AI slop is learning to tell us what we want to hear
AI-generated misinformation is not only exploiting anger and fear. Increasingly, it is feeding people comforting stories tailored to their politics and values. (more…)
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Free in two senses – keeping P&I independent
Pearls and Irritations depends on its readers to remain free and independent. David Armstrong explains why their support is vital as P&I reaches a growing audience seeking progressive perspectives. (more…)
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Big Tech knows what its algorithms are doing. Australia should too
Australia’s public sphere is increasingly shaped by privately controlled algorithms, yet researchers and regulators still lack the independent access needed to see how those systems work. (more…)
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The pieces I can’t shake – message from the Editor
Some articles do more than inform. They challenge assumptions, expose uncomfortable truths and stay with us – which is why independent journalism needs room to publish them.
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Might Kyrgios actually know what he is doing?
Nick Kyrgios, Rafael Nadal and Kylie Minogue took very different paths to success. Their lives raise a deeper question about ambition, sacrifice and what it really means to fulfil our potential. (more…)
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Why banning social media won’t make young Australians less anxious
Young Australians have plenty of reasons to feel anxious and angry. Blaming social media misses the deeper causes – and the challenge of navigating an increasingly complex world. (more…)
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Help us tell the real China story
When I represented universities, I often appeared at parliamentary inquiries. All were instructive, but there was one in late 2020 that taught me how entrenched anti-China prejudice is in Australia. (more…)
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Bullshit is everywhere, and it has consequences
Bullshit may be easy to dismiss, but from politics and gambling to advertising and public relations, it can obscure truth, shape debate and carry serious consequences. (more…)
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Keeping P&I strong, brave and free – Message from the Editor
P&I can pursue important issues early and keep publishing when others look away because it answers to readers, not powerful interests. One week into the August fundraiser, that community has already taken us almost 20 per cent towards our target.
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P&I is growing. Help us keep up the fight – Message from the Editor
Another 250,000 readers found P&I over the past year. As our August fundraising campaign begins, we’re asking readers to help keep independent journalism free, fearless and growing.
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The political cartoonist is becoming an endangered species
Fiona Katauskas’ departure from Guardian Australia points to a larger decline in permanent cartooning jobs, even as political cartoons remain vital to satire, public debate and local media culture. (more…)
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Are US subs really temporary visitors?
Pat Conroy’s assurances about US submarines at HMAS Stirling raise more questions than they answer about rotation, sovereignty, nuclear ambiguity and Australia’s control of its own naval base. (more…)
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Picturing armageddon: Will Trump listen to the next nuclear war film?
Films about nuclear war have often been dismissed by officials as inaccurate, alarmist or merely fictional, but their real power lies in forcing audiences to confront the madness of nuclear annihilation. (more…)
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Public life needs fewer empty notes – Message from the Editor
Public life is loud, reactive and full of people mistaking noise for importance. But there is a difference between speaking when something must be said and simply filling the silence. (more…)
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Age bans will not fix social media’s harms
Social media age bans won’t make children safer; requiring social-media platforms to prove the safety of their products will. (more…)
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Australia’s China panic keeps colliding with reality
Despite years of China-threat rhetoric, Australia’s trade, infrastructure and consumer markets remain deeply shaped by practical engagement with China.
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Who restrains power when power refuses restraint? – Message from the Editor
Across this week’s pieces on P&I, the same question keeps appearing: who or what restrains power when the powerful decide restraint is optional? (more…)
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No case for muzzling ABC and SBS reporting on Israel
Claims of ABC bias against Israel in its reporting of current Middle East conflicts defy the truth and the professional and impartial tradition of ABC staff reporters. (more…)
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Beware: Meta’s latest AI image generation tool might use your face
Meta’s new AI image tool may allow users to generate images using other people’s public photos, unless account holders find and disable the setting.
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Getting Murdoched: climategate
This edited extract of Getting Murdoched: How Murdoch’s Media Wields Power and Punishment Andrew Dodd and Matthew Ricketson examines Murdoch’s destructive anti-climate change campaign. (more…)