Spin Cycle

On this episode we are JOINED BY INVESTIGATIVE Journalist and editor of ‘The Klaxon’, Anthony Klan to talk about ‘The Klaxons’s’ leading coverage surrounding our new National Anti-Corruption commission and its controversial decision not to investigate referrals made by robodebt royal commission. Then we discuss the Labour government floating the idea earlier this week that they are looking into ne...

Dr Prudence Flowers joins Charlie and Rachel to delve into the American presidential debate. Together they explore the various interpretations of who came out on top, and ask whether presidential debates still have any major influence over US elections? If not, what does? The team also discuss the saga of texts between journalist Janet Albrechtsen and Walter Sofronoff surrounding the Bruce Lehrman...

Jess and Rachel are joined by writer Jinghua Qian to discuss the effect Israel's war on Palestine is having on freedom of speech in the arts locally. From the State Library of Victoria to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to multiple literary and music festivals, the team discuss the trend of censorship of artists by cultural institutions and the surrounding media conversation. They ask why creativ...

Jess, Charlie and guest host Natalie Feliks discuss the recent lacklustre in the media of political commentary, particularly at the ABC. The team are then joined by Ben Abbatangelo to discuss the recent election in the NT - what is the agenda of the CLP and what does it mean for the coalition and Labor at a national level?

It's Radiothon week! And who's better than one of Australia's most well-respected investigative journalists, Paul Barry - the host of ABC's MediaWatch, to express the need and importance for community radio. The team chat to Paul about the dire future of journalism in Australia and what needs to be done to improve the landscape while also giving some shout-outs to subscribers renewing for Radiotho...

Louise Milligan joins Jess, Rachel and Charlie to share some insights into the recent Four Corners investigation into Channel 7's workplace culture. The team also discusses some recent news involving Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.

Jess, Rachel and Charlie are joined by writer, Natalie Feliks, to talk about the misinformation campaign online and in the media around Algerian Olympic boxer, Imane Khelif. They also turn their attention to the government's watered down approach to caps on gambling ads. Plus they ponder whether totally mild will be the winning formula in the US presidential election.

This week, Jess and Rachel chat to former editor of the 7AM podcast, Scott Mitchell, about the industrial action that hit 9 Papers just as they were gearing up to cover the Paris Olympics. Plus they go deep on Mormon trad wife influencer, Ballerina Farm, in light of a controversial Sunday Times profile. And Rachel addresses the problem with Ralph Babet.   

Charlie and Jess are joined by Amy Donaldson, producer of ABC’s Four Corners, to discuss the first part of Retribution , a two-part series exploring what a second Trump presidency might look like. The team also look at the recent findings of corruption in the CFMEU and what it might mean for the future of unions, as well as "not-so-Tenacious D".

With a full house (Jess, Rachel, Charlie, and Najma!), Spin Cycle greets two guests to discuss the latest in the Australian news media. Jewish Council of Australia Executive Officer, Sarah Schwartz, describes the recent conflation of anti-zionism with anti-semitism, and whether it is an attempt to control legitimate pro-Palestinian protest. And Nour Haydar, host of The Guardian's Full Story podcas...

Charlie is back from Europe and joins Jess and Rachel in conversation with Phillip Adams. Fresh from finishing his run as host of 33-years to the ABC's Late Night Live, Phillip weighs in on some career highlights, the direction of the ABC, and the broader state of the Australian media. The team also discusses the media storm around former Labor-now-Independent senator Fatima Payman and the imminen...

Annika Blau joins Jess, Rachel and Esther to comment on the reality of reality TV, in particular the making of the “villain edit”. Annika goes more into depth on Australia’s "most hated" reality TV star in the most recent episode of the ABC’s Background Briefing . The team also look at freedoms in the case of Julian Assange, as well as in the broader press, and politics.

Jess and Rachel are joined this week by Evelyn Araluen, Co-Editor In Chief of Overland. They discuss the extreme narratives at the ends of public culture, the need for independent media, and celebrating 70 years of Overland. Jess and Rachel also discuss whether the media is giving Dutton's nuclear statements the criticism they deserve, and how politicians can utilise the media to distract the publ...

Returning guest Denis Muller joins Jess, Rachel and Esther to discuss the power structures, authoritarianism and open secrets at 9 media. The team also discuss the resignation of Media Watch's Paul Barry, and the distracting politics around Australia's inaction on Israel's war on Gaza.

Data specialist Kristen Moeller-Saxone joins Jess, Rachel and Esther to explore the study into the reporting of finance in the media over the last three decades, as well as the use of AI in the research process. The team also cover the week's news, including the National Press Club Address from the Executive Chairman of Newscorp Australasia, Michael Miller, and Peter Costello’s airport adventures.

Daanyal Saeed joins Jess, Rachel and Esther to discuss the outrage over Laura Tingle's comments at the Sydney Writers' Festival. Why is it that the media so often takes commentary out of context? Together they also discuss senate estimates, and the rise of effective altruism and pronatalism.

Independent Journalist, author of the Palestine Laboratory & co-founder of Declassified Australia, Antony Loewenstein, joins Jess and Rachel to discuss zionism, anti-semitism, and the fight against fascism, after the exploration of these topics in a recent Compass episode. The team also cover the first part in the saga of Gina Rinehart's portrait-removal demands, and the post-budget press club...

Emma Buckley Lennox fills in for the Spin Cycle crew this week and is joined by Professor Somwrita Sarkar from the University of Sydney to discuss her research into spatial segregation and neighbourhood change.  Later in the program, Peter Greste, Executive director of the Alliance for Journalists' Freedom, weighs in on this week's sentencing of whistleblower David McBride.

This week on Spin Cycle, Jess and Rachel are joined by Walkley Award-winning Journalist from UTS Helen Vatsikopulos. They talk with her about the current environment for studying journalism and the challenges of ensuring diversity for the future of the industry.  Jess and Rachel also discuss the recent awarding of The Pulitzer Prize, and what’s going on at Columbia University.

Joseph Friedman joins the Spin Cycle team to introduce 'About Time', a new publication created for, and largely by, incarcerated people in Australia. They dive into the intended content, similar existing publications, and what the launch and approval process is like. The team also talks about media funding, racism, and the dialogue around the recent spike in coverage of violence against women acro...

In light of the verdict on Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case against Channel 10, the Spin Cycle team are joined by Dr Rachael Burgin, senior lecturer at Swinburne University and CEO of Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy.  Together they discuss how the trial was conducted differently to other similar cases, and how high profile sexual assault cases in the media can impact survivors. They...

Advocate for the right to housing, Jordan van den Berg, aka Purple Pingers, joins Jess and Rachel to talk about how the media have responded to his recent campaign to create a database of empty and vacant homes in both Australia and the US.  Together they explore how the media engage with concepts to which they are generally foreign to due to issues of class representation in the newsroom and ask...

Human rights lawyer and author, Sarah M Saleh joins the team to discuss her recent piece  in Meanjin's Autumn issue. Together they examine censorship and limits on free speech evident in recent artistic curatorships, and whether we will see a change in the presentation of Palestinian voices to the Australian public. The team also talk about the new evidence in Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case and...

Jess is joined by Rachel Withers editor in chief of the politics to speak to investigative journalist Jarni Blakkarly who asks the question "are news rooms equiped for mental health of staff?" also topics such as Impartiality in regards to how the news from Gaza is reported.

An episode of Spin Cycle from 21st March 2024.