Albanese can’t say ‘Lebanese’, Hasan Piker drama + whistleblower David McBride’s missing media moment
14/04/2026 | 1h
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 the headline journey of a story on Israeli settlers that got wilder each time it was republished. We also shout out the Saturday Paper’s for its coverage of the NT’s climate calamity that’s left hundreds if not thousands of Aboriginal people in brutal evacuation shelters. (Check out A. Parkinson instagram photography) Antoinette’s new book ‘Women Who Win’ can be found here. Her book tour event dates across Perth, Margaret River, Canberra, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne can be found here. Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here. If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
ONLY FRAN: Penny Wong is 'deeply concerned'
10/04/2026 | 18 mins.
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 investigation into government grants to F35 suppliers here.
Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here. If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here. Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Lakemba NDIS lie, media’s gambling ad addiction, Trump’s unhinged… again
07/04/2026 | 59 mins.
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 Antoinette agree that Donald Trump’s latest social post is extremely unhinged but disagree on how the media should cover it.
Plus: Jay Rosen's Trump reporting toolkit that could save journalism, and why Uncommon Ground podcast proves listening to people you trust (and like) matters.
LinkedIn article by demographer Brian Cooper de-bunking NDIS fraud is here.
Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here. If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here. Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
ONLY FRAN: One month into QLD’s hate speech laws
03/04/2026 | 16 mins.
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 to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here. Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Israeli ambassador’s press club propaganda, Atlas Network’s climate campaign + Kyle in court
31/03/2026 | 1h 1 mins.
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 ground under pressure to disinvite a Palestinian author.
SUPPORT ETTE MEDIA by becoming a subscriber here. WATCH US ON YOUTUBE in full here.
Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We used to be journalists, but now we mostly just bitch about them. (Kidding. Kind of.) We also break down broken news.Episodes drop Wednesday and Saturday.Hosted by long-suffering journalists and even longer-suffering friends Jan Fran and Antoinette Lattouf, We Used to Be Journos pulls apart the week in media from people who know exactly how the machine runs because they worked inside it for decades.Every Wednesday, the pair sift through the headlines you saw and the forces you did not. Expect blunt media analysis, zooming in on dodgy editorial calls, anonymous sources doing gymnastics, and the occasional whiff of bigotry dressed up as balance. Consider it a guided tour of the newsroom sausage factory so you know what ended up on your plate.On Saturdays, the spin-off segment Only Jan hands the microphone to Walkley Award winner Jan Fran. One issue, one sharp monologue, foresincally researched, tightly argued, and, inconveniently for the powerful, quite funny.Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here. Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Australia