Fourth Estate

How much do mainstream journalists understand the nuances of land rights, native title, and Indigenous land ownership? From the birth of the land rights movement to the introduction of native title laws, mainstream media has often struggled to report accurately on issues of Indigenous land ownership. Professor Heidi Norman discusses how this reportage has impacted on the aspirations and self-deter...

When should the race of someone be identified in a news story and when shouldn’t it? If Indigeneity is excluded from a news story it can obscure racism–but if it’s featured, it can encourage racism and further add to media stereotyping of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. CEO of Ngaarda Media, Tangiora Hinaki, shares how racial stereotyping played out in the recent case of the abduction of 4...

For a long time, Indigenous stories were mostly reported by non-Indigenous journalists. But that seems to be changing. A growing cohort of Indigenous journalists and the rise of the Indigenous digital content creators are making waves across both mainstream and Indigenous media. Lachlan Skinner, founder of the first Indigenous internet radio station, One Mob Radio on Gumbaynggirr country, and Jame...

This edition is the first part of the 6-part Blak Bias podcast series. From keeping students connected to their schooling during the pandemic to helping coordinate clean up efforts after floods, Indigenous media does more than just report on what’s happening. The Guardian Australia’s Indigenous Affairs editor, Lorena Allam, explains the work of Indigenous media during times of crisis. She explains...

How has the Australian media represented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities? Blak Bias is an in-depth look at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the news – everything from the COVID-19 pandemic to land rights to the Cleo Smith case. Racist stereotypes, deficit narratives, and unethical practices are still everywhere in mainstream media – this podcast explores how a...

In this edition of Fourth Estate, foreign correspondent Lynne O’Donnell shares her experience of being detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Tina Quinn spoke with Lynne about the challenges local and foreign media workers face when reporting in conflict zones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What role does the community broadcasting sector have in a healthy fourth estate? We discuss the achievements of National Radio News (NRN), the national news service for the community broadcasting sector, as they reflect on 25 years of broadcasting. Monica Attard spoke with NRN News Director Frank Bonaccorso, NRN cadet journalist Emily Francis, and NRN senior journalist Emily Minney. The NRN is pr...

As many journalists choose freelance media work we discuss the benefits and challenges of freelancing. Tina Quinn spoke with Bianca Nogrady and Catherine Bouris. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we’re chatting with data journalists about the changes in their industry and the craft of communicating complex data with their audiences. Marlene Even spoke with Juliette O’Brien, a data journalist and founder of covid19data.com.au, Nick Evershed, data and interactives editor at Guardian Australia, and Wes Mountain, multimedia editor at The Conversation. Learn more about your ad c...

This week we are discussing news fatigue and what the Digital News Report: Australian 2022 results say about Australians' trust in the media. Marlene Even spoke with Dr Kieran McGuinness, the Digital News Report Postdoctoral Fellow at the News & Media Research Centre at the University of Canberra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we discuss the criticism towards the Sydney Morning Herald for its reporting of Rebel Wilson’s new relationship. What lessons have been learned and are we witnessing a recalibration of public interest journalism? Monica Attard spoke with Hamish Macdonald, Journalist, Host of The Project and Sunday Project, and Eric Beecher, Chairman of Private Media and Solstice Media. Learn more about y...

In light of the Depp v. Heard defamation case, we discuss reporting responsibly and respectfully on violence and harassment. We highlight the Our Watch Fellowship program and unpack the role the fourth estate has in preventing violence. Tina Quinn spoke with Lin Evlin, SBS News journalist, and Helen Pitt, Sydney Morning Herald journalist. Listener discretion is advised. Learn more about your ad ch...

What lessons can journalists take from the media coverage of the Australian federal election? This week we discuss whether the media noticed the political landscape shift. Monica Attard spoke with Troy Bramston, a Senior Writer and Columnist at The Australian and Katharine Murphy, the Political Editor at Guardian Australia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we discuss the media coverage of the election, from leaders' debates to lively press conferences. Do candidates owe the media an interview during an election campaign? Tina Quinn spoke with Phil Coorey, Political Editor at the Australian Financial Review, Paul Karp, Political Reporter for Guardian Australia, and Rachel Withers Contributing Editor for The Monthly. Learn more about your ad...

This week, we ask if the media is doing enough to acknowledge but also address systemic racism? Marlene Even spoke with Antoinette Lattouf, Co-Founder of Media Diversity Australia and Journalist, about her new book 'How to Lose Friends and Influence White People'. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we compare American and Australian national election media coverage. We discuss where our politics is, what role the media may have played shaping the very process it's reporting on and can the media fight back or change? Monica Attard spoke with Damien Cave, New York Times and Michael Miller, The Washington Post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As week two of the election campaign kicks off, Tina Quinn speaks with Sushi Das, Margaret Simons and Amanda Copp to talk discerning fact from fiction, amidst the ever-growing issue of disinformation. And has the media become trapped in reporting on political campaigns as if they were a horse race? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of Fourth Estate, we discuss the sub-genre of election podcasts. Why have they become a staple for media outlets to include in their election coverage? Marlene Even speaks with Dr. Andrea Carson, Associate Professor at La Trobe University, and Columnist Professor Mark Kenny, host of the podcast Democracy Sausage and Director of the National Press Club of Australia. Learn more about...

In this edition we discuss Australia's relationship with Pacific Island media. In light of a federal parliamentary committee recommendation that the Australian Government expand its media footprint in the Pacific Island region. Marlene Even spoke with Georgina Kekea, Freelance Journalist based in Solomon Islands, Jemima Garrett, Co-Founder and Co-Convenor of Australia Asia Pacific Media Initiative...

This week, we unpack the media coverage around federal budgets. Beyond ‘winners and losers’ we discuss the stories behind the fine print and lessons from the 2014 budget. Marlene Even spoke with Kishor Napier-Raman, Federal Politics Reporter at Crikey and Michael Roddan, National Correspondent at the Australian Financial Review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, two cadet journalists tell us about beginning their career at this unique time and their views on the media landscape. Tina Quinn spoke with Angus Dalton, Sydney Morning Herald and Rafqa Touma, The Guardian Australia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fourth Estate continues its Russia-Ukraine coverage this week by discussing how we got here and where to from here in the conflict and in the 'information war'? We hear two separate perspectives- one Ukrainian and one Russian. Monica Attard spoke with Zoya Sheftalovich, a contributing editor for POLITICO and Leonid Ragozin a freelance journalist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.f...

This week we take a serious look at Russia's invasion of Ukraine and ask could the West have stopped Putin before he troops crossed into Ukraine. We also discuss the role of the media and has Putin changed the world for ever. Monica Attard spoke with Scott Burchill and Peter Hartcher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is a photo from someone's formative years always fair game and what responsibility does the media have to protect someone's mental health? Tina Quinn speaks with Jacqueline Maley, a Columnist and Senior Writer at the Sydney Morning Herald and Age, Amy Remeikis a Political Reporter for The Guardian Australia, and Karen Percy Chair of Dart Centre Asia-Pacific, Non-Executive Director of the Walkley F...

This week on Fourth Estate, we dive into the world of opinion polling as a precursor to Australia's looming federal election. Toby Hemmings talks with Peter Lewis, Executive Director of Essential Media, and John Utting, Executive Director of Utting Research. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices