Humphries’ weekly satirical sketches ran for five years on the ABC before being axed last year
Less than a year after the ABC dropped the regular satirical segment on 7.30, Seven News has hired comedian Mark Humphries to continue the tradition of making fun of the news at the end of the week.
Seven’s new director of news and current affairs, Anthony De Ceglie, has recruited Humphries to perform a segment for the Sydney bulletin, with a view to expanding the spot nationally.
Continue reading...Former federal treasurer stands down days after he was accused of assaulting a News Corp journalist at Canberra airport
Peter Costello has resigned as chairman of Nine Entertainment “effective immediately” days after the former federal treasurer was accused of assaulting a News Corp journalist at Canberra airport.
Costello said in a statement on Sunday evening: “The board has been supportive through the events of the last month and last few days in particular. But going forward, I think they need a new chair to unite them around a fresh vision and someone with the energy to lead to that vision for the next decade.”
Continue reading...Sydney-based television veteran denies ‘malicious’ allegation and being stood down as network says it is conducting internal investigation
Channel Seven journalist Robert Ovadia is on leave while Seven conducts an internal investigation into allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” by the television veteran.
A spokesperson for the network confirmed Ovadia was on leave.
Continue reading...Video shows The Australian’s Liam Mendes fall to the ground during encounter with Nine Entertainment chairman at Canberra airport
Peter Costello, the former federal treasurer and current chairman of Nine Entertainment, has been accused of assaulting a journalist from The Australian newspaper as he refused to answer questions about the embattled media company.
But Costello has dismissed the allegations, saying “there was no assault” and that the journalist “fell over an advertising placard”.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Researchers also say ‘implied endorsement’ raises public health concerns, given poor nutritional quality of the foods
Fast food chains are successfully influencing news outlets to produce “covert marketing” for their brands, a new study has found.
The study, led by the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health, analysed all press releases from McDonald’s, KFC and Domino’s Pizza in Australia between July 2021 and June 2022.
Continue reading...Former political staffer listed no legal firm as acting for him in his notice of appeal lodged on Friday
Bruce Lehrmann claims that he was denied procedural fairness by the judge who rejected his defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson.
Lehrmann’s notice of appeal against the April judgment, which found that on the balance of probabilities he raped Brittany Higgins on a minister’s couch in Parliament House in 2019, was lodged at the federal court on Friday.
Denial of procedural fairness by the trial judge.
The justification finding was contrary to the evidence and the application of the standard of proof required by trial judge.
Construction/misconstruction of the imputations by the trial judge.
Inadequate award of damages where aggravation was made out by the applicant.
Continue reading...Mike Sneesby a signatory to all-staff email detailing response to allegations of predatory behaviour and bullying in newsrooms
Nine Entertainment has acknowledged “the trauma” caused by alleged acts of bullying, misuse of power and sexual harassment in its newsrooms and conceded to staff it needs to “do more” to make it a safe place to work.
In an all-staff email sent late on Thursday, Nine outlined its response to widespread reporting of predatory behaviour, bullying and sexual harassment by senior executives across the company.
Continue reading...David Anderson says News Corp is ‘obsessed’ with the ABC after Tingle faces backlash over ‘racist country’ comments
The ABC managing director, David Anderson, has told Senate estimates he believes the attack on the political journalist Laura Tingle this week was a “News Corp pile-on” but denies the broadcaster’s response was “cowering”.
Justin Stevens, the public broadcaster’s news director, said on Wednesday that Tingle’s remarks at the Sydney writers’ festival did not meet the ABC’s editorial standards and that she had been counselled.
Continue reading...Reporter says ‘we clearly have an issue with racism’ in lengthy statement addressing her Sydney writers’ festival appearance
The ABC’s news director, Justin Stevens, says Laura Tingle’s remarks at the Sydney writers’ festival did not meet the ABC’s editorial standards and she has been counselled.
But in a lengthy statement, Tingle, the chief political correspondent of 7.30, stood by her comments, while acknowledging they lacked context and nuance in a “free-flowing” panel discussion.
Continue reading...The federal government hopes parents will educate themselves so they can teach their children ‘to have safe, healthy relationships’
Parents should educate themselves about sexual consent so they can teach their kids about it, the federal government says, with a new $40m national campaign encouraging adults to learn about the issue to address “confusion”.
The consent education advocate Chanel Contos said it was “not enough” simply to teach children about the issue in schools, saying parents also needed to step up and talk to their kids about consent. She encouraged parents to educate themselves and speak to other adults about consent.
Continue reading...PM expresses frustration with unspecified newspapers and commentators, saying many articles ‘essentially about clickbait these days’
Anthony Albanese has accused some rightwing media of being “stenographers” and a “cheer squad” for his opponent, the Liberal leader Peter Dutton.
The prime minister expressed his frustration with unspecified newspapers and radio and TV commentators in an interview with an Australian National University podcast, complaining particularly about coverage of Labor’s revamped income tax cuts.
Continue reading...Labor minister says Peter Dutton’s opposition ‘wants to pick what law and order it’ll follow’
Ed Husic details government’s new battery strategy
The industry and science minister, Ed Husic, has been speaking to ABC RN about the government’s newly unveiled national battery strategy. As Karen Middleton reports, the strategy is aimed at turning Australia from a “dig-and-ship” economy that sells off its critical minerals into a powerhouse manufacturer of better and safer renewable energy storage.
China is obviously the biggest producer [and] a lot of countries are recognising that their dependency on that concentrated supply chain isn’t in [their] national interest longer-term. If there are disruptions to that supply, either accidental or otherwise, we’re left vulnerable and these are in terms of the batteries themselves – they’re complex in nature. It’s also driven by software, so we need to have safe and secure batteries, energy storage systems, longer term.
Continue reading...Staff brace for significant cuts as media company prepares to make moves to counter decline of print and slow advertising market
Lachlan Murdoch has been joined in Sydney by the News Corp UK boss, Rebekah Brooks, and global chief, Robert Thomson, ahead of the announcement of a major restructure of the Australian newspapers next week.
Guardian Australia understands Rupert Murdoch’s right-hand man, Thomson, Lachlan and Brooks held meetings in Sydney on Tuesday with News Corp’s local chief, Michael Miller, and others to sign off on the transformation of the company.
Continue reading...Opposition leader promised in speech on Thursday to restrict property investment by non-residents
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has criticised the opposition leader Peter Dutton’s budget reply speech as “unhinged” and lacking in economic credibility, as he set out around Australia to explain the government’s own economic plan.
With parliament now in recess for a week, Chalmers headed to Port Augusta in South Australia with the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, and SA state and federal colleagues to promote the government’s renewable energy transition agenda, badged as Future Made in Australia.
Continue reading...Former army lawyer asks for leniency on basis of ‘exemplary character’ after pleading guilty to leaking secret defence documents to media
The commonwealth wants to see army whistleblower David McBride in jail for more than two years for his role in leaking secret defence documents on the Afghanistan war to the media, a court has heard.
At a sentencing hearing on Monday, a decade after McBride first began secretly taking classified documents from the Australian defence force where he worked as an army lawyer, the commonwealth’s counsel, Trish McDonald, said McBride’s actions amounted to “egregious conduct” and affected how defence conducted some operations as well as Australia’s relations with allies.
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‘Lower the temperature’ on protests at university campuses, education minister says
The education minister was also asked about the pro-Palestine encampments taking place across Australian universities, and whether they should be allowed to continue for as long as students are willing to man them.
There’s always going to be protests in a democracy, that’s part of being a democracy. What there’s no place for is hate or violence or prejudice or discrimination and certainly no place [for] antisemitism or Islamophobia – whether it’s on our university campuses or anywhere else in the country.
What I’d say is that we’ve just got to lower the temperature. You know, what’s happening on the other side of the world is trying to pull our country apart. We’ve got to work together – whether it’s politicians or religious leaders or community leaders, whether it’s the media, or student representatives – to work to keep our country together, not let it get pulled apart.
There’ll be a lot of people who will still be able to work at the same time as they’re doing [placements]. But there are people who can’t [and] this will provide that bit of extra help to pay the bills, put food on the table, pay for transport, sometimes the relocation costs that come with prac.
The commonwealth government hasn’t done this before. This is the first time that this has happened. It’s happened in the in response to calls from students – both teaching students and nursing students and social work students – across the country, and it’s come out of the work for the universities accord team that heard loud and clear that there is placement poverty in this country.
Continue reading...Analysis of Facebook data finds engagement with news is at an all-time low – due at least in part to changes to Meta’s algorithms
Meta has refused to enter into new deals with Australian media publishers for the use of their content on Facebook, leading to fears it may again implement a ban on news content appearing on the platform. But an analysis of Facebook data suggests engagement with posts from news organisations is already at an all-time low, as memes fill the space.
Meta has argued that news makes up just 3% of what people engage with on its services.
Continue reading...Communications minister Michelle Rowland won’t rule out strengthening the news media bargaining code to compel platforms to make news available
The federal government is not ruling out requiring tech giant Meta to carry news on its social media platforms as well as pay for it, as Labor considers whether to activate and toughen the still-dormant news media bargaining code.
The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, told Guardian Australia the government would consider possible changes to its code upon completion of a review into the role the tech platforms play in the news market in Australia.
Continue reading...Justice Michael Lee labels Ten lawyer’s comments outside court following judgment ‘discourteous’ and ‘misleading’
Bruce Lehrmann has been granted an extension of time to consider an appeal at a federal court hearing which saw Network Ten’s conduct outside the court, after the judgment, described by Justice Michael Lee as “discourteous” and “misleading”.
Lee said Ten’s decision to offer comment outside his court minutes after the judgment was handed down had caused him concern, in particular the claim the network had been vindicated.
Continue reading...Amid the threat of big tech, Greens senator says News titles are ‘trusted news providers’ and a royal commission should look at the whole industry
The Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has watered down her demand for a royal commission examining the role of the Murdoch media in Australia, now describing it as a “trusted” news provider compared with unregulated social media platforms.
Hanson-Young says she still wants a royal commission but that she is no longer advocating for it to focus specifically on media outlets owned by News Corp.
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