Truth, Lies and Media

Within hours of Donald Trump becoming the first openly genocidal fascist US President .. Ice Queen Melania Trump holds a dramatic press conference calling for "the lies" to end and solemnly denying she was a victim of Jeffrey Epstein - claims virtually no-one was making until she swept up to address the press pack.

Was this a bizarre political media strategy aiming at distracting attention from the President threatening that "an entire civilisation will die tonight" or just the chaotic violent shitshow this administration rolls out each day?

And Prince Harry and Megan arrive in Australia to an adoring public but to an occasionally sniggering media class. The frustrated Murdoch scribes, finding nothing negative to report, dream up a story about how much extra police resourcing might cost to provide security for the "millionaire visitors" and then encourage the new Liberal leader Jess Wilson to attack the phantom expenditure which exists only in their thought bubble.

Why do these two well meaning ex Royals visiting a children's hospital and hosting a wellness retreat trigger such frothing rage at News Corp?

Denis Muller unpeels the layers of a classic beat up.
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Australia's most decorated soldier Ben Roberts Smith is arrested over alleged war crimes and taken into custody .. the alleged crimes, which Roberts Smith denies ever happened, may never have come under scrutiny had it not been for the dogged work of investigative journalists Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters.

Plus .. Trump's armageddon threats follow his expletive ridden demands that Iran open the f+king strait of Hormuz "you crazy bastards" - the sort of commentary you'd see graffitied on the back of a public toilet door.
Can we call him deranged yet?

And facing extinction, the Victorian Liberal President blasts the party's disastrous habit of taking policy advice from hard right Murdoch mouthpieces Peta Credlin and Pauline Hanson.
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Newsrooms go into overdrive as Australia's most wanted man Dezi Freeman is shot dead .. but how do you report the death of a police killer without sounding like you are dancing on the grave of a dead man?

Also this week - the disturbing trend of "journocide" as Israel murders three Lebanese reporters.

And the dangers of an old media habit that "sanewashes" the rambling, incoherent pathologically lying Donald Trump.
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Denis Muller warns of the dangers around broadcasting a known liar and racist live to air as respected political journalists call on the media to challenge the hate of Pauline Hanson while One Nation surges in popularity.

Major disruptions to hit news programs as ABC staff go on strike, frustrated over repeated below inflation pay rises and the insidious practice of forcing staff on to precarious month to month contracts.

Plus how do you report on an emerging crisis as hundreds of petrol stations across Australia run out of fuel? Actual facts need to make a comeback rigfht across the media spectrum .. but who will play it straight and who will weaponise the fear?
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A special live recording of our discussion with Michael Bradley - How Crikey fought off the Murdoch empire, and other stories.

You can find more of Michael's work here:
https://publishing.monash.edu/authors/michael-bradley/

Our sincere thanks to everyone who came along, and the staff of the Northern Arts Hotel for a fabulous night!

Recorded on March 15 2026.

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