We Used to be Journos

This week, federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor unveiled an immigration policy built on “values” and, well… values according to who? Jan Fran sat through the whole speech so you don’t have to, and let’s just say the logic didn’t quite make it through customs. So what’s it actually about? Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here. If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the epi...

In this bonus episode, Antoinette shares the findings of an exclusive investigation into the Murdoch media’s sustained smear campaign against Dr Abdel-Fattah. The data, gathered in partnership with analyst and mathematician Dr Richard Bean, points to relentless coverage, loaded language, and front-page attacks targeting the Palestinian-Egyptian academic. We break down the figures, the headlines, a...

In this episode Jan and Antoinette unpack why the US political and media establishment is losing its mind over left-wing streamer Hasan Piker and what this case tells us about the shifting tides of power in America. Plus, we look at Anthony Albanese’s borderline offensive answer to a journalist's question about Lebanese-Australians; imprisoned whistleblower David McBride’s missing media moment and...

In this episode of Only Fran, Fran takes a look at Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong's response to the Lebanon massacre - or "humanitarian crisis" as she puts it. Jan examines Wongs now familiar rhetoric, the media's apathy towards the slaughtered Lebanese civilians and whether our Australia's leaders will ever be anything other than "deeply concerned". You can read Michael West Media's inve...

Jan Fran and Antoinette expose the false narrative that the multicultural Sydney suburb of Lakemba is a hotbed of systemic NDIS fraud. We trace where this racist narrative kicked off, which media outlets fueled it and how the main figure is off by approximately 8000%.  Also, why free-to-air TV networks and certain newspapers are not happy with Albanese's gambling ad reforms. And Jan and Antoi...

It’s been one month since Queensland passed unprecedented hate speech laws which banned the phrases ‘from the river to the sea’ and ‘globalise the intifada’.  Jan Fran takes a look at what these laws are really about, why artists are getting phone calls from cops and what the wider ramifications are. Hint: they’re not good.  Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here. If you want t...

Jan and Antoinette watch Israel’s ambassador address the National Press Club and assess how hard the journalists in the room worked to push back against the blatant hasbara.  Plus: What is the Atlas Network and what does it have to do with climate mis and disinformation in Australia? A Senate report helps us answer that question.  And applause for the writer's festival that stood its gro...

Only Fran (OF) hit a lil logistical speed bump this week. The Ette duo will be in your ears on Wednesday with We Used To Be Journos - then Saturday OF is back. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Jan Fran and Antoinette look at the role the media played in One Nation’s South Australian election surge and ask how should the media report on Hanson moving forward?  Plus: the Aussie news site pumping out hundreds of timely and factual news stories with zero journalists - just one software engineer and a whole lot of theft (and A.I).  Then, how much sway did Rupert Mu...

In this particularly personal episode of Only Fran, Jan Fran reflects on what it's been like as a Lebanese-Australian watching Israel's invasion of Lebanon this week. She talks about her state of mind, shares some things you probably didn't know about Lebanon and examines the response from Australia’s government, who are not only failing to condemn Israel's invasion, but gaslighting Muslims who bo...

In this episode Jan Fran and Antoinette examine the devastating attacks on Lebanon and the Lebanese population - and why local media coverage has been strangely quiet. We dive into Louis Theroux’s Netflix exploration of the internet’s most toxic - and successful - “manosphere” influencers: what landed, and what was missing. We also tackle the rumour mill around wanted war criminal Benjamin Ne...

In this new Saturday break out series, Only Fran, Jan Fran picks an issue of the week that is living rent free in her head. Right now, it's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke's decision to grant asylum to some members of the Iranian women's soccer team, while passing legislation that prevents people from conflict and crisis-affected countries from visiting Australia. So ... while Burke is patting hi...

In this episode, Jan Fran and Antoinette ask whether the TV panel discussion show has run its course. They unpack ABC’s National Forum - a discussion that felt like host David Speers was walking on eggshells - with topics and trauma that may be too complex for the format to handle.  Also this week: the escalating standoff between the government and Pornhub over age-verification laws, and why...

In this new Saturday break out series, Only Fran, Jan Fran looks at the who and the why of our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese.  As the US-Israel war on Iran escalates, Jan takes a look at the man who went from strongly opposing “US militarism” to becoming the first world leader to support it.  Producer: Antoinette Lattouf Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here. If you want to...

In this episode, Jan Fran and Antoinette look at the Australian media’s coverage of the U.S and Israeli attack on Iran and show how a narrative gets set in the first 24-48 hours.  They also unpack Paramount’s $111billion takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, a deal that may suit Donald Trump but raises serious concerns for CNN, which could face the same kind of corporate and editorial pressure t...

In this episode, Jan Fran and Antoinette examine why the BBC cut out a BAFTA winner’s acceptance speech on human rights but kept in the moment the n-word was yelled across the stage. They also chuckle at the slew of actors squirming when asked about politics at the Berlin Film Festival.  Plus, Donald Trump says he’ll release classified documents about aliens and  Victorian Premier Jacint...

In this episode, we lay out the parallels between political attacks on a UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories and a former Australian of the Year, and how large chunks of the media swallowed both with minimal scrutiny. We also share insider context and discuss how “harmful” reporting by the Canberra Times forced First Nations commissioner Vanessa Turnbull Roberts to go pub...

In this episode, we dissect the media’s coverage of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia. We look at how two networks asked very different questions, analyse the warm, sympathetic coverage in the lead up and keep an eye on the outlets that dutifully repeated government lines even as footage showed police violence in plain sight. We also look at what was missing from most of the cove...

In this episode, the current state of Australian media is examined through Jan Fran and Antoinette’s decades long journeys in the industry. They talk about how they broke into journalism, caught the tail end of television’s heyday, watched social media splinter audiences, and now brace for what AI is about to do to journalism and truth. They also maintain a decades-long grudge against their less-t...

In this episode, we look at the many red flags surrounding Labor’s new hate speech laws as well as the mainstream media’s strikingly uniform response to them.  Jan provides an update on the sale of TikTok. Americans can stop worrying about China controlling their data and algorithms because a small group of pro-Trump billionaires has that covered now. Antoinette breaks down Australia Day poll...

In this episode Jan and Antoinette look at the fight to control the narrative over protests in Iran where the death toll has exceeded 3000.  With an internet block out, state media tightly controlled, foreign actors bragging about armed interference, and exiled figures presenting themselves as the solution, protestors and their plight largely disappear from the story - by design.  Meanwh...

In this episode, Jan Fran speaks with the woman at the centre of the collapse of the Adelaide Writers Festival, Palestinian author and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah.  The conversation is blunt and urgent. They talk about censorship, lobby pressure on cultural institutions, what it means to keep speaking as a Palestinian Australian as media outlets launder bad faith attacks, and the focus drifts...

Part two of our summer special brings another round of Etterati questions, and this batch is delightfully varied. Prehistoric animal favourites. Media predictions for 2035. Practical tips for the days when hope feels elusive. Tickets to our live shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane can be bought here. Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here. Follow The Antony Lowenstein Podca...

Part one of our summer special is your Q&A therapy session disguised as a podcast. We answer all your burning questions. We talk about twenty years of friendship, juggling being fledgling media moguls with sanity, staying clear-eyed in the chaos and navigating holiday conversations with problematic fam.  Tickets to our live shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane can be bought h...

Independent journalist Antony Loewenstein joins Jan Fran to discuss how he's processing the Bondi terror attacks both as a Jewish man and long-time advocate for Palestine. Antony and Jan move through the tension between allowing victims time to grieve and needing to challenge political agendas that seek to curb our civil liberties.  Antony talks through what he believes is driving the rise in...