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…)
Category: Media
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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…)
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When reality catches up with satire – Message from the Editor
The Boys spent years exaggerating the Trump era. By its final season, political reality had become so grotesque that satire was struggling to stay ahead. (more…)
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Monetising grievance: in Australia it’s harder than you think
Right-wing podcasting in Australia is akin to a craft beer with a niche following. It is not a mass market. (more…)
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When women’s rights become clickbait
Attempts to reopen debate on abortion access rights in Australia show how women’s rights are made negotiable through language, media framing and political theatre – and why independent journalism matters in resisting that backlash.
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Mary Kostakidis wins freedom of the press award
Mary Kostakidis has received the 2026 Gary Webb Freedom of the Press Award, recognising her long record in Australian journalism and her defence of press freedom amid legal action over her criticism of Israel’s war on Gaza. (more…)
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A right mess: how mining, media and political interests are combining to influence public debate in Australia
One Nation’s surge has exposed a new alignment of media, mining and political interests on the Australian right, with Gina Rinehart, Lachlan Murdoch and Pauline Hanson now central to how that contest unfolds. (more…)
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Compassion does not end at the front gate – Message from the Editor
Like many I was revolted by the video of Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting and humiliating courageous international citizens determined to get supplies to Palestine. If you haven’t seen it, the video shows the Israeli Minister humiliating Gaza flotilla activists, who are shown kneeling in rows, heads bowed, hands cable-tied behind their backs.
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Lifting the secrecy around plans to censor journalists
Australian officials have been briefed by Britain’s Defence and Security Media Advisory (DSMA) Committee about ‘D-Notices’. These are ‘advisory orders’ to the media on what the committee considers should not be published in relation to British military and intelligence operations.
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US falls to ‘historic low’ in press freedom tracker
The United States has dropped to an historic low in global press freedom rankings, with political pressure on media and industry consolidation driving the decline.
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Why TikTok is being ruined by its new American owners
TikTok’s transformation under US ownership is reshaping it into a platform for censorship, AI exploitation and political influence, undermining free expression. (more…)
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Independent media probably won’t benefit from the new social media tax
A proposed levy on tech giants could deliver hundreds of millions for Australian journalism, but current settings risk directing the funds to large media companies rather than independent media. (more…)
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Japan’s arms sales, fatal law, and the K-pop community – Asian Media Report
Tokyo’s new weapons export rules, the never-ending China-Japan rift, Thucydides Trap’s historical flaw, Global South’s central ceasefire role, Asian fossil-fuels fall, and BTS manager’s arrest warrant. (more…)
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A prime-time hit job on renewables falls apart under basic facts
Spotlight’s TV report on renewables and EVs collapses under basic fact-checking, highlighting how misinformation is shaping Australia’s energy debate. (more…)
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The bad, the worse, and the need for glee – Message from the Editor
It has been a week where a number of world ‘leaders’ have exceeded even the lowest of expectations. Clearly the lion in this fight is Donald Trump as Jesus, but there are some other really notable, local contenders. (more…)
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National Press Club under fire for ‘disgraceful’ invitation to Israeli envoy
The National Press Club is under fire for hosting Israel’s ambassador after cancelling other speakers and remaining largely silent on the killing of journalists in Gaza. (more…)
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Climate misinformation inquiry stops short on reform
Australia’s first inquiry into climate misinformation finds a systemic problem distorting public debate – but its strongest solutions sit outside the main report.
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Share prices, sports results … CO₂ levels? The case for reporting climate stats every day
Regular reporting of atmospheric carbon levels could make climate change more visible, understandable and actionable in everyday public life.
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None of the diverse ‘journalists’ writing for this Aussie news site are real
A fully automated news site with no journalists shows how easily AI can mimic credibility – and how exposed Australia is to manipulation. (more…)
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Trump is remaking the US media in his own image – and smashing accountability with it
As Trump escalates attacks on journalists, a new mega-media empire aligned with political power is reshaping the US media landscape.
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Trump’s new tariff war, America’s waning status in Asia, and mixed reviews for BTS – Asian Media Report
The legal fiction behind America’s trade attack, Asia is the main victim of global energy crisis, Pakistan’s ‘indirect talks’ diplomacy, K-pop company’s sagging share-price, Takaichi survives Trump summit, and Cambodia’s push to restore ancient heritage. (more…)
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Social media ruled addictive by US jury
A landmark US verdict finds Instagram and YouTube’s design features addictive – opening the door to a wave of legal action against big tech.
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If China is Iran’s ‘most powerful ally,’ then Australia must be China’s
A media analysis asks why China hasn’t defended Iran. But the real puzzle is why anyone assumes Beijing has a military obligation to do so. (more…)
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Message from the Editor
When I stared in newspapers it was often said that today’s paper is tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapper. It is a relief to know that some are not so casual about the press. John Menadue and Paul Keating both have long memories, and mark a special anniversary today. It is exactly three years to the day since The Age and SMH ran a series called ‘Red Alert – warning war with China would come within three years, making that deadline today.
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Herald, Age news abuse shamefully exposed
Three years ago today, the editorial leadership of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age wilfully and dangerously misled the communities of Sydney and Melbourne into believing that at or by today, 7 March 2026, Australia would face the prospect of a direct attack by China and its military on the mainland of Australia.
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For 27 years, the Kyle and Jackie O Show indulged Australia’s most vulgar, sexist impulses
The collapse of the Kyle and Jackie O radio partnership highlights a contradiction in Australian media culture – a society that condemns misogyny yet rewarded a program built on vulgarity, sexism and humiliation. (more…)
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How a nuclear test that never happened became news
A US allegation that China conducted a secret nuclear test was widely reported despite clear evidence to the contrary, highlighting how security claims are too often treated as facts before they are proven. (more…)
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An incomparable job, an honoured place as Founder
John Menadue, and the late Susie Menadue, did an incomparable job in conceiving, establishing, growing and nurturing Pearls and Irritations as a brave and independent alternative to the conformity of Australia’s legacy media. (more…)