Media Files

ShutterstockCOVID-19 has affected our relationship with technology in many ways, from the pleasures of mass online choirs to the perils of the endless Zoom meetings rendering us “zoombies”. Connectivity is so hard-wired in our lives, many are re-assessing the virtues of being disconnected. Ten years ago, US journalist William Powers published Hamlet’s BlackBerry: Building a Good Life in the Digital Age, a book that urged us to take an “internet sabbath” every now and again. US author William Powers. https://www.williampowers.com/ It was a prescient idea even if the book’s title sounds rather retro now, but there was a reason for his choice, as he explains today on Media Files. Powers is a journalist who used to work at The Washington Post and is now an online technology consultant, and he joined me by Zoom from his home in Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Read more: 'Suck it and see’ or face a digital tax, former ACCC boss Allan Fels warns Google and Facebook Additional credits Theme music: Susie Wilkins. With thanks to Chris Scanlon from Deakin University for production assistance. Image Shutterstock Matthew Ricketson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Have you used Google lately and been greeted by a yellow warning saying that the way Australians search on Google is under threat? To understand why these messages are appearing, Media Files interviewed former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Professor Allan Fels, and CEO of the Public Interest Journalism Initiative (PIJI), Anna Draffin (full recording above, recorded from home due to the pandemic). Read more: Google's 'open letter' is trying to scare Australians. The company simply doesn't want to pay for news This episode of Media Files is about world-first laws to be introduced later this year that will force Google and Facebook to pay for news on their sites to help fund public interest journalism. The yellow warning messages by Google (which also appear on its sister site, YouTube) aim to garner public support for a campaign to pressure the federal government to dump revenue-sharing laws planned for later this year. In a similar vein, Facebook’s Australian and New Zealand director of public policy, Mia Garlick, argued in the Sydney Morning Herald before the draft laws were released, that Facebook already provided top value to media outlets with billions of opportunities for publishers to monetise their stories, gain new paying subscribers, serve ads, and keep Australians on their websites. And while Allan Fels said he’s not surprised by the tech giants fighting back against the new law, the public will expect the tech giants to “suck it and see”. “I think people will ask Google and Facebook to ‘suck it and see’ to see what turns out instead of just going home with a cricket bat or baseball bat,” said Fels. “It’s normal, it’s par for the course, in ACCC matters, that parties make threats […] with jobs, investment, higher prices, leave the country. Everything!”. Fels believes the Morrison government may well respond with a new digital tax if Google or Facebook pulls some business out of Australia, like it did in Spain in 2014. Then, the Spanish government charged Google copyright fees for using news snippets, so Google shut down its news service. “Personally, I think that the government has got this huge stick in the closet if Google walks or partly walks, and that is to put on a digital tax,” Fels said, adding that A digital tax is being talked about globally, mainly at the OECD. And virtually every member of the OECD wants to put a digital tax on the platforms except the US. Certainly the US under Donald Trump […] But even if the US continue to oppose it, I think a lot of countries are just going to proceed with their own digital tax. How did we get here? Following the ACCC digital platforms inquiry report last year, the consumer watchdog recommended the two tech giants pay Australia’s major newsrooms (excluding the SBS and ABC) an annual fee to use news on their sites. Anna Draffin and the big media companies agree with the ACCC’s findings that media companies cannot fairly compete with the digital platforms to win advertising revenue, and that this revenue shortfall has led to masthead closures and journalism job cuts. Draffin said its introduction is urgent as COVID-19 has accelerated the demise of many news outlets, particularly in regional Australia. At first, the ACCC was to oversee a voluntary code with the technology companies negotiating in good faith with the big news outlets. But, unhappy with the progress of the bargaining talks, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced in April the code would be mandatory. The government released draft laws in July sparking Google’s fear campaign warning its users that Australians “search experience will be hurt by new regulation”. In an August 24 blog post, Google argues it helps “more than 20 million Australians” and is unlikely to shut down Australian news from its search engines. Google Australia’s blog post said the firm helps ‘more than 20 million Australians and over one million businesses in Australia.’ Google Facebook contends news is just a fraction of the information on its platform and the mandatory code is unnecessary. ACCC chair Rod Sims, on the other hand, argues that News content brings significant benefits to the digital platforms, far beyond the limited direct revenue generated from advertising shown against a news item […] News media businesses should be paid a fair amount in return for these benefits.“ The mandatory code includes transparency measures to force the digital platforms to share data and insights about how it uses algorithms to rank news content online. Draffin said while the proposed laws are welcome, at this stage, they do not include the public broadcasters nor do they include smaller newsrooms with annual turnover under A$150,000. "The code alone isn’t necessarily going to be the solution particularly for that [smaller] end of the market,” said Draffin. “New market entrants would largely sit outside of any benefit from the code. So there could be room for a loan or venture capital fund for start-ups as a separate policy setting,” she said. Read more: In a world first, Australia plans to force Facebook and Google to pay for news (but ABC and SBS miss out) The draft laws force the companies to negotiate for up to three months or face a binding binary dispute resolution where independent arbiters determine the winning bid among the bargaining parties. Breaches of the news laws would attract fines of up to $10 million or 10% of a company’s annual domestic turnover. Public consultation into the draft mandatory bargaining code closes this Friday, August 28. Additional credits Theme music: Susie Wilkins. Image Shutterstock Andrea Carson receives funding from the Australian Research Council to examine public policy decision making and the media. She also has a Facebook grant to research misinformation in the Asia Pacific. She is affiliated with the Public Interest Journalism Initiative's expert research panel.Andrew Dodd receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is affiliated with the Public Interest Journalism Initiative as a member of its research committee.

Big Tech companies have built a better trap for profiting from consumers' attention than the traditional media can offer. ShutterstockMedia companies around the world are in an existential funk. The tech giants - Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon - have built a better mousetrap for profiting from consumers’ attention than the traditional media can offer. To add insult to injury, they use the media companies’ journalism as bait but don’t want to pay for it. Big Tech firms also don’t see themselves as publishers and operate untroubled by demands for responsibility that come with being one. No wonder that, according to a new international survey, media companies are increasingly unhappy with their lot. In this episode of Media Files, Matthew Ricketson and Andrew Dodd talk with the survey’s author, Robert Whitehead. Whitehead, a former editor-in-chief of The Sydney Morning Herald in the days when the masthead still made millions for what was then called Fairfax Media, shares his thoughts on what media companies could do and whether their calls for regulatory change will succeed. Additional credits Recording and production: Gavin Nebauer and Andy Hazel. Theme music: Susie Wilkins. Image Shutterstock The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

The Panama Papers was the biggest-ever collaboration for investigative journalism, involving 400 journalists in 80 countries who collectively produced 6,000 stories in 100 different media outlets. ShutterstockToday on Media Files, a podcast on major themes and issues in the media, we meet Bastian Obermayer, the Pulitizer prize-winning journalist who led the Panama Papers investigation into global tax evasion and money laundering. It was the biggest-ever collaboration for investigative journalism, involving 400 journalists in 80 countries who collectively produced 6,000 stories in 100 different media outlets. Bastian Obermayer is the deputy editor for investigations at the Süddeutsche Zeitung in Munich, Germany. He was the person who received the original email from the anonymous source known as John Doe. Bastian recently joined the Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne, courtesy of the Macgeorge fellowship. He recorded this discussion with Andrew Dodd for Media Files. New to podcasts? Podcasts are often best enjoyed using a podcast app. All iPhones come with the Apple Podcasts app already installed, or you may want to listen and subscribe on another app such as Pocket Casts (click here to listen to Media Files on Pocket Casts). You can also hear us on any of the apps below. Just pick a service from one of those listed below and click on the icon to find Media Files. Additional credits Producers: Andy Hazel and Henning Goll. Theme music: Susie Wilkins. Image Shutterstock Andrew Dodd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

AAP/EPA/JULIAN STRATENSCHULTEIn a landmark report, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has urged the federal government to fix the uneven market power of digital companies like Facebook and Google that make it almost impossible for traditional media companies to compete for advertising and audiences. The Digital Platforms Inquiry report, released in late July, lists 23 recommendations that cover all aspects of how and where we get our news. The ACCC’s proposed changes span competition law, consumer protections, media regulation and privacy laws. Today, the Media Files team talks to a media owner and journalism expert to look closely at what the ACCC has suggested needs to change so media businesses remain economically viable and able to produce reliable news in all parts of Australia. Media Files’ guests are media academic and journalist Margaret Simons from Monash University and Ross McPherson, editor-in-chief of the McPherson Media Group, publisher of 14 newspapers in regional Victoria and New South Wales. New to podcasts? Podcasts are often best enjoyed using a podcast app. All iPhones come with the Apple Podcasts app already installed, or you may want to listen and subscribe on another app such as Pocket Casts (click here to listen to Media Files on Pocket Casts). You can also hear us on any of the apps below. Just pick a service from one of those listed below and click on the icon to find Media Files. Additional credits Producers: Andy Hazel and Gavin Nebauer. Theme music: Susie Wilkins. Image AAP/EPA/JULIAN STRATENSCHULTE Andrea Carson was invited to give her expert views to the ACCC during the inquiry and is the author of 'Investigative journalism, democracy and the digital age' published by Routledge, which is quoted in the ACCC's final report. She is also a chief investigator on an Australian Research Council grant examining the role of media coverage and other factors on public policy making.Matthew Ricketson is a chief investigator on an Australian Research Council grant led by Deakin University about developing new ways to support the survival of country media in the digital era. He is a member of the board of the Public Interest Journalism Foundation. Andrew Dodd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

The world's weather is changing and the media needs to keep up. Flickr/Shannon Dizmang, CC BYWhen he founded the blog CapitalWeather.com 15 years ago in Washington DC, Jason Samenow was working for the US government as a climate change analyst. A full-time media career was probably the last thing on his mind. But the blog – which became known as the Capital Weather Gang – gained traction, and was gradually absorbed by The Washington Post. These days, Samenow is chief meteorologist and weather editor for the Post, where his work is driving audience growth and engagement. Jason Samenow began his career as a climate change analyst before transitioning into journalism. Jason Samenow, Author provided (No reuse) Lawrie Zion caught up with him for a chat about how digital media has changed the way that we connect to the weather, and why it’s wrong for weather editors to leave climate change out of the discussion. New to podcasts? Podcasts are often best enjoyed using a podcast app. All iPhones come with the Apple Podcasts app already installed, or you may want to listen and subscribe on another app such as Pocket Casts (click here to listen to Media Files on Pocket Casts). You can also hear us on any of the apps below. Just pick a service from one of those listed below and click on the icon to find Media Files. Additional credits Producer: Andy Hazel. Theme music: Susie Wilkins. Image Flickr/Shannon Dizmang The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

The report found that Australian news consumers access news less often and have lower interest in it compared to citizens in many other countries. ShutterstockOn today’s episode, we hear from Caroline Fisher, an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Canberra and lead author of the 2019 Australian edition of the the Digital News Report. The annual report has found that public trust in the news media is falling. It also finds that Australians are worried about “fake news”. Perhaps as a result, we access news less often and have lower interest in it compared to citizens in many other countries. Yet, when it comes to keeping us up to date, we think the news media passes the test. It’s the fifth year of the report, which comes from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University. There are 38 countries involved and it’s an annual snapshot of media: how they’re using it and what they think of it. You can hear the full interview and details of the report here on Media Files. Read more: Australians are less interested in news and consume less of it compared to other countries, survey finds New to podcasts? Podcasts are often best enjoyed using a podcast app. All iPhones come with the Apple Podcasts app already installed, or you may want to listen and subscribe on another app such as Pocket Casts (click here to listen to Media Files on Pocket Casts). You can also hear us on any of the apps below. Just pick a service from one of those listed below and click on the icon to find Media Files. Additional credits Producer: Andy Hazel. Theme music: Susie Wilkins. Image Shutterstock The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

David Crosling/AAPCardinal George Pell’s appeal against child sexual assault convictions kicks off this week, but when that’s over Pell still has another reckoning to face: the unredacted findings of Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. When the royal commission handed down its massive report in late 2017, several sections were redacted until after any legal proceedings against Cardinal Pell were concluded. In this episode of Media Files, Matthew Ricketson talks with ABC investgative reporter Louise Milligan – author of Cardinal: the rise and fall of George Pell – about the issues and incidents the royal commission investigated. New to podcasts? Podcasts are often best enjoyed using a podcast app. All iPhones come with the Apple Podcasts app already installed, or you may want to listen and subscribe on another app such as Pocket Casts (click here to listen to Media Files on Pocket Casts). You can also hear us on any of the apps below. Just pick a service from one of those listed below and click on the icon to find Media Files. Additional credits Producer: Andy Hazel. Theme music: Susie Wilkins. Image David Crosling/AAP Matthew Ricketson is chair of the board of the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma, Asia-Pacific, which has done work to support journalists who have reported extensively on child sexual abuse.

Facebook's Mia Garlick says, 'we're frequently seeing politicians use the Facebook Live tool to augment a press conference or to directly speak to voters about the issues of importance of the day.' AAP/MICK TSIKASAs we enter the final straight of the Australian election campaign, we ask you: how much of your information about the issues and the candidates comes from social media? Today’s Media Files podcast examines the role of social media in election campaigns, including the spread of “fake news” and foreign political interference. Joining us is Facebook’s policy director Mia Garlick to help us understand the scale of traffic on social media. New to podcasts? Podcasts are often best enjoyed using a podcast app. All iPhones come with the Apple Podcasts app already installed, or you may want to listen and subscribe on another app such as Pocket Casts (click here to listen to Media Files on Pocket Casts). You can also hear us on any of the apps below. Just pick a service from one of those listed below and click on the icon to find Media Files. Additional credits Producers: Andy Hazel and Marg Purdam. Theme music: Susie Wilkins. Image Mick Tsikas/AAP Andrea Carson receives funding from The Australian Research Council for a discovery on the role of big data in public policy decision-making. She has previously researched digital newsrooms on a Facebook-funded research project in 2017.Andrew Dodd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Adele Ferguson, the celebrated journalist who many credit as the driving force behind the banking royal commission, says that the commission 'didn't go anywhere near far enough.' KYM SMITH/AAPToday on Media Files, it’s journalism versus the big banks. We’re hearing from Adele Ferguson, the celebrated journalist who many credit as the driving force behind the banking royal commission. Adele Ferguson is a reporter with the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age and a columnist for the Australian Financial Review. Over many years, her reporting has exposed the way financial institutions have flouted the rules and how regulators like the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) have consistently failed to hold financial institutions to account. New to podcasts? Podcasts are often best enjoyed using a podcast app. All iPhones come with the Apple Podcasts app already installed, or you may want to listen and subscribe on another app such as Pocket Casts (click here to listen to Media Files on Pocket Casts). You can also hear us on any of the apps below. Just pick a service from one of those listed below and click on the icon to find Media Files. Additional credits Producers: Andy Hazel and Gavin Nebauer Theme music: Susie Wilkins. Image KYM SMITH/AAP The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Today on Media Files we look at the suppression order that prevented the Australian media reporting the Pell case - and why rushing to judge-only criminal trials may be a mistake. AAP/PAUL TYQUINWhen Judge Peter Kidd sentenced Cardinal George Pell last week, it was broadcast live on radio and television. It was a stark contrast to the preceding trial, which was subject to a suppression order that prevented any coverage of the proceedings. Today on Media Files we look at the suppression order that prevented the Australian media reporting the case, even when the verdict was widely known and was being circulated on social media and on the front pages of newspapers around the world. On the day of the Pell sentence the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing Journalism brought together several experts with wide-ranging experiences of suppression orders to discuss how they affect the public’s right to know and whether the laws should be reformed. The panellists are: Associate Professor Jason Bosland, Co-Director of the Centre for Media and Communications Law at Melbourne Law School, where he teaches media and communications law. His primary research interests lie in media law, including defamation and privacy, open justice and the media, contempt of court and freedom of speech Melissa Davey, Melbourne bureau chief for The Guardian. She is an experienced news journalist who previously worked as a reporter for Fairfax newspapers, including The Sydney Morning Herald and the Sun Herald. She sat through every day of the George Pell trial Lucie Morris-Marr, a reporter who, like Melissa, sat through the entire Pell proceedings. She worked at the Daily Mail, London, Marie Claire Australia and the Herald Sun in Melbourne before covering the Pell trial for the New Daily. She is the author of a book on Pell entitled Fallen: The inside story of the secret trial and conviction of Cardinal George Pell Frank Vincent AO QC, who served 16 years as a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria followed by a further eight years as a judge of the Court of Appeal. He was Deputy Chair and then Chair of the Victorian Adult Parole Board, a position he occupied for 17 years. In 2017 he conducted a review of court suppression orders and the Open Courts Act 2013. The forum was chaired by Dr Denis Muller of the Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne. New to podcasts? Podcasts are often best enjoyed using a podcast app. All iPhones come with the Apple Podcasts app already installed, or you may want to listen and subscribe on another app such as Pocket Casts (click here to listen to Media Files on Pocket Casts). You can also hear us on any of the apps below. Just pick a service from one of those listed below and click on the icon to find Media Files. Recorded at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing Journalism. Producer: Andy Hazel. Theme music by Susie Wilkins. Image: PAUL TYQUIN/AAP Andrew Dodd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Perhaps readers want less on what Trump is saying and more on what his administration is doing. CHRISTIAN HARTMANN / POOL/EPAToday we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest issues of 2018 with special guest Kath Viner, editor-in-chief of The Guardian. As the media grappled this year with how to cover Donald Trump and his “alternative facts”, Viner says it may be time for the media to pay less attention to what he says. “Surely the thing to do is report on what is actually happening. So less on what Trump is saying but actually what his administration is doing,” Viner said. “We don’t hear about what he’s doing because we’re too busy commenting on what he’s saying.” We also talked about how newsrooms are funding journalism and particularly investigative journalism, in an era when journalists are increasingly vilified and even physically attacked or killed. Viner also identified what she saw as the major challenges ahead. “I think the other big challenge for next year is how we deal with the rise of the far right and how we report on it without inflaming it or over-exaggerating it,” she said. Read more: Media Files: On the Serena Williams cartoon -- and how the UK phone hacking scandal led to a media crackdown in South Africa Media Files is produced by a team of academics who have spent decades working in and reporting on the media industry. They’re passionate about sharing their understanding of the media landscape, especially how journalists operate, how media policy is changing, and how commercial manoeuvres and digital disruption are affecting the kinds of media and journalism we consume. Media Files will be out every month, with occasional off-schedule episodes released when we’ve got fresh analysis we can’t wait to share with you. To make sure you don’t miss an episode, find us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, in Pocket Casts or wherever you find your podcasts. And while you’re there, please rate and review us - it really helps others to find us. You can find more podcast episodes from The Conversation here. Read more: Media Files: What does the future newsroom look like? Recorded at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing Journalism. Producer: Andy Hazel. Production assistance Gavin Nebauer. Additional audio Theme music by Susie Wilkins. Andrew Dodd receives funding from the Australian Research Council.Matthew Ricketson receives funding from the Australian Research Council for two projects on which he is a chief investigator. He is president of the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA) and is the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance's (MEAA) representative on the Australian Press Council.Andrea Carson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Alan Soon of Splice Media is promising a million dollars to give to start-ups to transform media in Asia. ShutterstockToday on Media Files, a podcast about the major themes and issues in the media, we’re looking at the future newsroom. We often hear about the doom and gloom of established media companies as they shed staff and revenues, but is there hope for journalism and a new style of digital newsroom? We ask of the man with an ambitious mission to launch 100 media start-ups in three years: what does the future newsroom look like? Our guest is co-founder and CEO of Splice Media, Alan Soon. Based in Singapore, Alan is a former journalist and producer at Yahoo, CNBC, Bloomberg and Kyodo News, and is promising a million dollars to give to start-ups to transform media in Asia. We talked about: • Challenges and opportunities for start-ups • His pledge to launch 100 digital media start-ups in Asia over three years with a $1 million fund – and where the money comes from • Why he thinks Asia lacks a robust ecosystem around media start-ups. • How to build communities around membership and make a media start-up financially sustainable. • Media trends and innovations that he expects we will see more of in the future. • How limiting the different regulatory environments and political norms such as regard for freedom of expression may be in parts of Asia. And much, much more. Read more: Media Files: Guardian Australia's Katharine Murphy and former MP David Feeney on the digital disruption of media and politics Media Files is produced by a team of journalists and academics who have spent decades working in and reporting on the media industry. They’re passionate about sharing their understanding of the media landscape, especially how journalists operate, how media policy is changing, and how commercial manoeuvres and digital disruption are affecting the kinds of media and journalism we consume. Media Files will be out every month, with occasional off-schedule episodes released when we’ve got fresh analysis we can’t wait to share with you. To make sure you don’t miss an episode, find us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, in Pocket Casts or wherever you find your podcasts. And while you’re there, please rate and review us - it really helps others to find us. You can find more podcast episodes from The Conversation here. Read more: Media Files: ABC boss Michelle Guthrie sacked, but the board won’t say why Recorded at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing Journalism. Producer: Andy Hazel. Production assistance Gavin Nebauer. Additional audio Theme music by Susie Wilkins. Andrew Dodd receives funding from the Australian Research Council Andrea Carson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

The advent of the internet has changed how politics and the media influence each other - and not always in a good way. AAP Image/Lukas CochToday on Media Files, a podcast about the major issues in the media, we’re taking a close look at the role of the news media in politics. As the Wentworth by-election looms, we’re asking: is digital disruption changing the rules of journalism and politics in Australia? It is easy to miss how disorienting it can be to work in the always-on-at-fire-hydrant-strength world of political journalism these days, as Guardian Australia’s political editor Katharine Murphy recounts in her recent essay-book On Disruption. Matthew Ricketson speaks with her to understand the media’s role (if any) in the political turmoil that cost Malcolm Turnbull the prime ministership, triggering this month’s hotly contested by-election. Read more: Media Files: Spotlight's Walter V. Robinson and the Newcastle Herald's Chad Watson on covering clergy abuse - and the threats that followed Long time Labor Member for Batman, David Feeney, announced his resignation early in 2018. DAVID CROSLING/AAP One person who’s seen up close the sometimes difficult relationship between reporters and politicians is former federal Labor MP David Feeney. Speaking to Andrea Carson about falling media trust and increased political polarisation, he asks: “In today’s Australia, where do you have a public conversation? Because there are so many different filter bubbles, there are no agreed facts… we are losing the capacity to build a consensus.” Read more: Media Files: What does the Nine Fairfax merger mean for diversity and quality journalism? Media Files is produced by a team of journalists and academics who have spent decades working in and reporting on the media industry. They’re passionate about sharing their understanding of the media landscape, especially how journalists operate, how media policy is changing, and how commercial manoeuvres and digital disruption are affecting the kinds of media and journalism we consume. Media Files will be out every month, with occasional off-schedule episodes released when we’ve got fresh analysis we can’t wait to share with you. To make sure you don’t miss an episode, find us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, in Pocket Casts or wherever you find your podcasts. And while you’re there, please rate and review us - it really helps others to find us. You can find more podcast episodes from The Conversation here. Recorded at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing Journalism. Producer: Andy Hazel. Additional audio Theme music by Susie Wilkins. Andrea Carson is part of a research group that receives funding from the Australian Research Council where she is a chief investigator using big data to study public policy making in Australia.Matthew Ricketson receives funding from the Australian Research Council for two projects on which he is a chief investigator. He is president of the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia (JERAA) and is the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance's (MEAA) representative on the Australian Press Council.

Former ABC Managing Director Michelle Guthrie looking toward a different future earlier this year at the ABC's first Annual Public Meeting. JOEL CARRETT/AAPThe major question following the sacking of ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie is why? Why did the ABC board move so decisively and why now? Was it just about tension between her and the corporation chair, Justin Milne, or was it about strategic direction for the national broadcaster? In this special edition of Media Files, Monash University’s Margaret Simons and former ABC staff-elected director Matt Peacock talk to Matthew Ricketson and Andrew Dodd about what it might mean for the ABC - particularly in the lead up to a federal election. Read more: Constant attacks on the ABC will come back to haunt the Coalition government Media Files is produced by a team of journalists and academics who have spent decades working in and reporting on the media industry. It’s about how journalists operate, how media policy is changing, and how commercial manoeuvres and digital disruption are affecting the kinds of media and journalism we consume. Media Files will be out every month, with occasional off-schedule episodes released when we’ve got fresh analysis we can’t wait to share with you. To make sure you don’t miss an episode, find us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, in Pocket Casts or wherever you find your podcasts. And while you’re there, please rate and review us - it really helps others to find us. You can find more podcast episodes from The Conversation here. Producer: Andy Hazel. Additional audio Theme music by Susie Wilkins. Read more: Media Files: What does the Nine Fairfax merger mean for diversity and quality journalism? Andrew Dodd receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is a former ABC employee.Margaret Simons is working on a book about the ABC. She is a member of the Public Interest Journalism Foundation, a not for profit that advocates on journalism-related issues. She received industry and philanthropic funding for research into journalism futures. It was not from the ABC. Matthew Ricketson receives funding from the Australian Research Council as a chief investigator on two projects. He was appointed by the federal government in 2011 to assist Ray Finkelstein QC in an Independent Inquiry into the Media and Media Regulation, which reported in 2012. Since 2016 he has been the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance's representative on the Australian Press Council. He is president of the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia.

Serena Williams and Brian Earley at the US Open Grand Slam, 2018. AAP/Daniel Murphy Mark Knight’s cartoon in The Herald Sun has become a global topic of condemnation and debate because of its negative portrayal of American tennis player Serena Williams. It was widely described as racist. The news of the cartoon broke last week while we were both at a conference in South Africa. We decided to show the cartoon to some local academics with expertise in the study of media, race and gender to gauge their reactions because few places have dealt with issues of racism more comprehensively than South Africa. Listen in to this episode to hear the responses of Dr Shepherd Mpofu of the University of Limpopo and Dr Julie Reid and Dr Rofhiwa Mukhudwana of the Department of Communication Science at the University of South Africa. Read more: Media Files: Spotlight's Walter V. Robinson and the Newcastle Herald's Chad Watson on covering clergy abuse - and the threats that followed And Associate Professor Glenda Daniels of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa speaks with Matthew Ricketson about how the African National Congress government reacted to the phone hacking scandal in the United Kingdom. Erupting in 2011, the phone hacking scandal had many ramifications, for the victims of course but also for publisher of the newspaper at the centre of it – News Corporation, whose reputation was heavily tarnished. The UK government set up a wide-ranging inquiry led by Justice Brian Leveson. In Australia the then federal Labor government followed suit, setting up its own inquiry. It was headed by former federal court judge, Ray Finkelstein QC and assisted by Professor Matthew Ricketson, then at the University of Canberra, now at Deakin University, and a contributor to the Media Files podcast. The recommendations of the Finkelstein inquiry were rejected by the news media industry even though they were nowhere near as draconian as the news media reported them to the general public. In England, the central recommendations of the Leveson report were rejected by prime minister David Cameron within hours of the 2000 page report being tabled in parliament. What is less well known is how in South Africa the African National Congress government used the phone hacking scandal to initiate its own efforts to tighten control of the press, as Glenda Daniels, a prominent journalist and academic, recounts in this interview recorded in Johannesburg last week. Media Files is produced by a team of journalists and academics who have spent decades working in and reporting on the media industry. They’re passionate about sharing their understanding of the media landscape, especially how journalists operate, how media policy is changing, and how commercial manoeuvres and digital disruption are affecting the kinds of media and journalism we consume. Media Files will be out every month, with occasional off-schedule episodes released when we’ve got fresh analysis we can’t wait to share with you. To make sure you don’t miss an episode, find us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, in Pocket Casts or wherever you find your podcasts. And while you’re there, please rate and review us - it really helps others to find us. You can find more podcast episodes from The Conversation here. Producer: Andy Hazel. Additional audio Theme music by Susie Wilkins. Read more: Media Files: What does the Nine Fairfax merger mean for diversity and quality journalism? Andrew Dodd receives funding from the Australian Research CouncilMatthew Ricketson receives funding from the Australian Research Council as a chief investigator on two projects. He was appointed by the federal government in 2011 to assist Ray Finkelstein QC in an Independent Inquiry into the Media and Media Regulation, which reported in 2012. Since 2016 he has been the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance's representative on the Australian Press Council. He is president of the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia.

Walter V. Robinson, the US investigative journalist who was portrayed by Michael Keaton in the film Spotlight, talks to Media Files about his team’s investigation into child abuse in the Catholic Church. EPA/ETTORE FERRARI/AAPIf you’ve seen the movie Spotlight, about the Boston Globe investigative reporters who uncovered the staggering extent of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in the US, you’re already familiar with the work of Walter V. Robinson. He’s the one played by Michael Keaton in the film. In today’s episode of Media Files - a podcast about the media and how it works - Robinson shares some insights into where the Spotlight investigation began: from scratch. “I mean, we made our living doing mostly stories about government corruption and malfeasance and we didn’t have a single file anywhere in all of our file cabinets that had the word ‘priest’ or ‘church’,” he says in today’s episode of Media Files. “I said, look, let’s do this: let’s assemble a list of everybody we can think of who’s ever had anything to do with this sexual abuse of children in Massachusetts and let’s call them all and see what we can find out.” The initial trickle of leads would soon turn into a flood. “We had 300 victims just in Boston alone who contacted us in the first two or three weeks after we published,” he said, adding that, for many, “we were the first people they had ever told and they all thought that they were the only ones that this had ever happened to.” The trailer for the film Spotlight. Read more: Review: Spotlight's revealing story of child abuse in my home town – and maybe yours US actor Michael Keaton (L), who plays US journalist Walter V. Robinson (R) in the film Spotlight. EPA/ETTORE FERRARI As Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has now made clear, the horrors the Spotlight team uncovered were not a uniquely US problem. Australian journalist Chad Watson was editing the Newcastle Herald on the day investigative reporter Joanne McCarthy filed a column that contained a chillingly prescient line. “Part of that column was the line, ‘There will be a royal commission into clergy abuse in Australia because there must be’. I remember reading that line before we went to print and I thought, ‘Yep, tomorrow I’ll talk to Joanne about that’,” Watson says on Media Files. “And at that stage, Joanne had been writing about clergy abuse for 10 years; she had probably written 500 stories about it. And we thought, well, what are we going to do about it?” McCarthy’s reporting, published while Watson was editor of the Newcastle Herald, lit the fuse that led to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Watson told Media Files there were endless challenges along the way. “We had legal threats from the Catholic Church. We had priests from the pulpit mentioning the Newcastle Herald. I was actually in mass myself - and now I don’t go to church much anymore - when the priest mentioned that there was a statement at the back of the church to be collected about reports in the Newcastle Herald,” he said. “And I have had friendships fracture.” In today’s episode of Media Files, we talk about the challenges in covering clergy abuse, how media outlets handle accusations against people who have since died and how journalists work with vulnerable survivors of abuse. Read more: How investigative journalists are using social media to uncover the truth Media Files is produced by a team of journalists and academics who have spent decades working in and reporting on the media industry. They’re passionate about sharing their understanding of the media landscape, especially how journalists operate, how media policy is changing, and how commercial manoeuvres and digital disruption are affecting the kinds of media and journalism we consume. Media Files will be out every month, with occasional off-schedule episodes released when we’ve got fresh analysis we can’t wait to share with you. To make sure you don’t miss an episode, find us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, in Pocket Casts or wherever you find your podcasts. And while you’re there, please rate and review us - it really helps others to find us. You can find more podcast episodes from The Conversation here. Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 Lifeline 24-hour counselling: 13 11 14 Mental Health Crisis Helpline in each state and territory. Recorded at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing Journalism. Producer: Andy Hazel and Gavin Nebauer. Additional audio Theme music by Susie Wilkins. Andrew Dodd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

A merger between Nine and Fairfax was announced in July this year. AAP Image/Dean LewinsYou don’t need to be a journalist or a news junkie to be affected by the media. Its enormous influence in shaping our culture, politics and society means we all have a stake in how it functions, who it serves and the way it’s changing. That’s why, today, we’re launching the first episode of Media Files, a new podcast featuring leading journalism researchers and working journalists taking a critical look at where the media is getting it right - and where there might be cause for concern. Today’s episode is all about the Nine Fairfax merger, the largest media amalgamation in Australia in 30 years. Eric Beecher of Private Media, Stephen Mayne of the Mayne Report and ABC finance presenter Alan Kohler join presenters Andrew Dodd and Andrea Carson to discuss the implications for diversity and quality journalism. Is this merger a welcome development, potentially boosting the capacity of journalists at outlets like The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and the Financial Review to get on with the job of reporting news and revealing wrongdoing? Or is it a takeover that should ring alarm bells for anyone who cares about investigative journalism? Media Files is produced by a team of journalists and academics who have spent decades working in and reporting on the media industry. They’re passionate about sharing their understanding of the media landscape, especially how media policy, commercial manoeuvres and digital disruption are affecting the kinds of media and journalism we consume. The media is evolving rapidly, as new platforms and trends come and go. As old media empires collapse, new ones are forming. But the need to protect diversity, public interest journalism and public broadcasting has, arguably, never been greater. Media Files will be out every month, with occasional off-schedule episodes released when we’ve got fresh analysis we can’t wait to share with you. To make sure you don’t miss an episode, find us and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, in Pocket Casts or wherever you find your podcasts. And while you’re there, please rate and review us - it really helps others to find us. Recorded at a public forum at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing Journalism. Producer: Andy Hazel. Research: Charlotte Grieve and Jo Chandler. Additional audio Theme music by Susie Wilkins. Andrew Dodd receives funding from The Australian Research Council.

idea No matter what we read, watch or listen to, we’re all affected by the media and how it works. It shapes our culture, drives policy and politics, and is an essential part of a functioning democracy. But how is the media in Australia changing? And is the media getting it right? Media Files is a new monthly podcast, featuring discussion between media researchers, experts and working journalists on the big issues in the media landscape today. Media Files is hosted by Andrew Dodd at the University of Melbourne, Andrea Carson at LaTrobe University and Matthew Ricketson at Deakin University, who between them have decades of experience reporting on and researching the media. Media Files will also involve journalists, editors and other practitioners reflecting on topics such as ethics, digital disruption and the trends affecting what we hear, watch and read. As old media empires collapse, and new ones rise, the need to protect diversity, public interest journalism and public broadcasting has arguably never been greater. Catch Media Files each month for discussion about the key issues and ideas facing this vital industry. Andrew Dodd receives funding from The Australian Research Council.