When power oppresses, civil society must hold it to account. Like media and the arts, university campuses in Australia have become sites of censorship and suppression of free speech on the question of Palestine. In fact, the level of repression faced by pro-Palestine staff and students, and the stifling atmosphere, have led to the establishment Continue reading »
Media
The melodramatic media story about the small Chinese naval flotilla exercising with “live” ammunition off the Australian and New Zealand coasts has run solid for more than a week. I’m beginning to suspect the Chinese military may have a sense of humour. Here the political snafu, led by the ABC, has been fixated by the Continue reading »
Mathilda Mallinson was one of two pro-immigration cast members on the controversial Channel 4 show. She explains what the show taught her
Another media appearance, this time on one of my favourite tech podcasts, the Vergecast. I did a talk with David Pierce about new developments in ActivityPub, how to increase adoption, and our work at the Social Web Foundation. I hope it’s interesting for people who a) like hearing me talk (more here) and b) like … Continue reading Me on The Vergecast
When James Murdoch was considering marrying Kathryn Hufschmid, he invited her to meet his family while they were holidaying on a super yacht off the coast of Australia. During the holiday, she caught Rupert cheating at Monopoly. Murdoch just smirked and shrugged. This morsel is from an article just published in the Atlantic by McKay Continue reading »
The ABC has announced today that they will be renaming their Monday night Q&A show Peter Dutton Says, in a move they say that will increase viewers and make ABC staff more comfortable. ”At the ABC we pride our selves... Read More ›
Thousands of customers are threatening to stop using the supposedly LGBTQ+ inclusive retail giant
Late last year, Rupert Murdoch launched an audacious effort to amend the terms of the “irrevocable” family trust he had set up in the wake of his divorce from his second wife, Anna. He wanted to make sure his older son, Lachlan, would enjoy exclusive control over the Murdoch media empire once the pater familias Continue reading »
New Zealand’s leading newspaper, the New Zealand Herald, screamed out this headline on 10 February: “Should New Zealand invade the Cook Islands?” The government and the mainstream media have gone ballistic (thankfully not literally just yet) over the move by the small Pacific nation to sign a strategic partnership with China in Beijing. It is Continue reading »
In Asian media this week: Seoul, Pyongyang fear being ignored. Plus: India edges towards closer US connection; Domestic violence surges in South Korea; Beijing brings private sector back into the fold; Military making comeback in Indonesia; Kolkata’s yellow taxis taking last fares. Donald Trump is busily ingratiating himself with Vladimir Putin and is ever-so-casually withdrawing Continue reading »