MediaLand

• Whistleblowing to media under threat

  Whistleblowing has long been a key part of the ability of media to hold governments and corporations to account, but the toll on the whistleblowers and journalists involved can be extremely heavy. The Federal Government's proposed public sector whistleblower reforms, including the establishment of a Whistleblowing Ombudsman, are working their way through the legal process and experts are concerned they won't provide the right protections for people wanting to sound the alarm. Can Australian public servants be summoned to Washington? E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant has been asked to appear before a United States Congressional Committee, but it remains unclear if she'll go. It's a busy month for the commissioner and many others as the social media restrictions loom in early December. Meta announced they're starting with restrictions a week early. Are they going too soon or is everyone else behind? The ABC closed out the 2025 media upfronts season this week with its content showcase for 2026. Its Managing Director Hugh Marks also took to the dais of the National Press Club on Wednesday to exhort ABC journalists to "stick to the journalism". What's in store for public broadcasting in 2026? It's been another tough week for the staff at the media behemoth Nine with the head of their broadcast division promising to "squeeze" more out of the beleaguered department.  Is the season of the cuts particularly harsh this year? Guest: Dr Rebecca Ananian-Welsh, Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, Executive Director of Public Law with the Centre for Public International and Comparative Law (CPICL), and Chief Editor of the University of Queensland Law Journal You can binge more episodes of the MediaLand podcast with media insiders Tim Burrowes and Vivienne Kelly on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find interviews with the big media bosses, the journalists on the ground and the hacks who hunt for the big media scoops. Please email us at [email protected] if you would like to get in touch, we read them all and love hearing from you! 

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• Hannah Ferguson: indie media flourishing in tough times

  We’re always talking about media companies trying to get bigger in order to survive. But that may not be the only way to do it. Hannah Ferguson set up Cheek Media in 2020 and has been building an independent media powerhouse without outside investment or selling off parts of the company. Does being small help and are there gaps growing between big media companies and their audiences? Will big tech companies have to pay to play with local news makers again? The Federal Government released a document this week suggesting that the long talked about New Bargaining Incentive may kick into gear in 2026. It’s been a pretty turbulent week for domestic media companies, who are all in their own ways reacting to a softening advertising market. Job cuts at Nine are the most obvious symptom, but it's going to be a tough end to 2025 right across commercial media. And we found out this week that The Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions will not charge Kyle and Jackie O or Mamamia with contempt for potentially prejudicial comments made during the trial of Erin Patterson. Can these media companies breathe a sigh of relief yet? Guest: Hannah Ferguson, CEO and Founder of Cheek Media Co., co-host of Cheek’s podcast The Big Small Talk and the author of Bite Back and 2024’s Taboo.

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• How do you cover a dismissal?

  Tuesday the 11th of November marks a big date in the political history calendar in Australia. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the dismissal of the Gough Whitlam government, heralding a blizzard of political change. What was it like in the press gallery on that day and what impact did the events of 1975 have on Australian political journalism? Tom Mcllroy has been speaking to political journalists from 1975 who weathered the storm in the press gallery fifty years ago for Meanjin. After literal years of people calling for it the federal government is making international streamers invest in a certain amount of Australian content. Legislation was introduced this week to mandate that any streaming services with more than 1 million Australian subscribers must produce Australian drama, children's, documentary, arts or educational programs. It's been a long time coming, but will it actually mean more Australian content on our screens? We learned more this week about Australia's impending social media ban for children under sixteen, but it’s still not entirely clear what’s happening in roughly four weeks when the law comes into effect. What we do know is that Reddit and live-streaming platform Kick will be included along with Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, X, Facebook and Instagram. Guest: Tom Mcllroy, Political Editor for The Guardian Australia You can binge more episodes of the MediaLand podcast with media insiders Tim Burrowes and Vivienne Kelly on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find interviews with the big media bosses, the journalists on the ground and the hacks who hunt for the big media scoops. Please email us at [email protected] if you would like to get in touch, we read them all and love hearing from you! 

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• First Nations Media: telling our stories

  Get the inside track on the global media industry

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• Does democracy die in a news desert?

  Regional news in Australia has been in a decline for a while, in quantity at least. Between 2019 and 2024, there were 358 contractions and 174 expansions of news outlets across Australia, that’s a loss of at least 184 outlets. It’s been a struggle and ultimately it's audiences who end up missing out. The Public Interest Journalism Initiative says that as of last year there were at least 29 local government areas who didn’t have any print or digital news at all. What happens when no one is watching? One of the biggest media companies in the world is up for sale, although not entirely by choice. Warner Brothers Discovery has declared itself open for offers in the United States after receiving "unsolicited interest". Big media buyout season appears to be still on in the international market and could have a big impact for Australian viewers. And the rolling maul of media announcements for 2026 in Australia continues as networks confirm their line ups and announce their content slates. What is next year going to look and sound like on our screens and speakers? Guest: Dr T.J. Thomson, Senior Lecturer at RMIT and Australian Research Council DECRA FellowYou can binge more episodes of the MediaLand podcast with media insiders Tim Burrowes and Vivienne Kelly on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find interviews with the big media bosses, the journalists on the ground and the hacks who hunt for the big media scoops. Please email us at [email protected] if you would like to get in touch, we read them all and love hearing from you! 

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