Young Rupert took up his inheritance in Adelaide in 1953 with minimal journalistic experience. He quickly revealed himself to be a ruthless rule-breaker and hands on, expansionary proprietor.
The integrity of Australia’s election process is under unprecedented pressure during this election.
Wes Mountain/The Conversation
Well, there was a lot of mucking about, but Panorama has finally broadcast its exposé of Sun on Sunday journalist Mazher Mahmood, widely known as the “Fake Sheikh”. The programme had been scheduled for…
So, Andy Coulson has been found guilty of plotting to hack phones – but former colleague Rebekah Brooks walked free after the jury in the hacking trial cleared her of all criminal charges. The verdicts…
New digital media entrant The New Daily injects a hopeful note into the media landscape.
A screenshot of The New Daily.
November is a month of two tales for the Australian media industry: one of hope, the other of despair. The arrival on Wednesday of the online news site The New Daily, and reports that The Monthly’s publisher…
While reporters’ political biases are always hotly debated, other biases remain - including too few voices from diverse backgrounds.
AAP/Alan Porritt
Most Australian journalists describe themselves as left-wing, yet amongst those who wield the real power in the country’s newsrooms, the Coalition holds a winning lead. But while the media’s political…
The Herald Sun has described fans of A-League soccer club Melbourne Victory as ‘soccer hooligans’, a label many fans feel is unfair.
AAP/Martin Philbey
In 2011, I attempted to warn then-Victorian Police Superintendent Rod Wilson and Australian soccer’s governing body, Football Federation Australia, from “amplifying the actions of a few unruly football…
If Twitter allows us to follow (and share) our interests, then can it make a reliable measure of influence for media groups?
AAP/Tracey Nearmy/Twitter
News of significant job losses and organisational restructuring at Fairfax has thrown new spotlight onto the continuing transformation of the Australian media landscape. It’s clear that newspapers in their…
Media proprietors have complained about Federal Government plans for a public interest test - but are they using freedom of speech arguments to protect their commercial interests?
Dear media CEOs, Thanks for your recent letter to Prime Minister Julia Gillard outlining concerns some of you have about regulation of the news media industry. First a question regarding your views of…
The problems facing the Australian news media are global; our companies must start providing solutions that their readers are prepared to pay for.
AAP
It took a while, but the Australian news industry has finally caught up with the crisis of journalism which has been affecting the rest of the world for quite some time. I say “crisis”, but let’s be clear…
News Corporation will split its publishing assets from its entertainment arm - with the exception of its Australian operations.
AAP
News Corporation is breaking up. The process will take about 12 months and is subject to shareholder approval. The de-merger will separate News Corporation’s publishing assets from its media and entertainment…
As the “rivers of gold”- classifieds - dry up, there are alternative revenue models emerging - although none offer a simplistic panacea to the media industry.
AAP
Journalists have never been particularly fond of advertising or advertisers – to most journalists, advertising was space and time taken away from good stories and advertisers were commercial interests…
Newsrooms are undergoing major changes as the old print-digital divide crumbles.
Flickr/andyp uk
Fairfax reporters will be expected to file stories throughout the day into an internal “wire” that will hold copy for use on any platform - print, online, tablet, social media and mobile, under a blueprint…
Most reporting still comes from a newspaper: Australia’s media troubles come from a failing commercial model, not a journalistic one.
“Perhaps the single most dishonest aspect of the New Right’s campaign has been its attempt to rubbish and discredit the public sector.” That’s Keith Windschuttle in his excellent 1983 book, The Media…
Major media outlets predominantly use wire services such as AAP for their online breaking news. But this approach reduces media diversity and can perpetuate errors.
Flickr/Dulnan
In the swathe of important debate that’s occurred in the last week about the massive changes underway in the Australian media, there’s a piece of the puzzle that’s been ignored. Indeed, it’s a piece that…
Newsrooms across the country are emptying fast.
Flickr/hellvetica
This week’s unfolding print news crisis may have taken newspaper workers by surprise, but it has an inevitable feel to those who’ve been studying the latest phase of restructuring in our digital media…