Better than a thousand words

Dr Cameron Edmond looks at three narrative visualisations that effectively articulate COVID-19 public health messages.

Will Facebook pull news from its Australian site?

Facebook has announced it will ban publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram if a proposal to force tech giants to pay for news becomes law.

Rethinking data and consent

People may consent to the use of their personal data, without being sufficiently aware or informed of the nature and extent of potential implications.

Could the new ‘tech tax’ save journalism?

Australia could be the first country to support journalism by diverting profits from Facebook and Google using competition law.

Beware disinformation around COVID vaccines

Policymakers, media outlets, social media platforms and vaccine manufacturers should be aware that politically motivated disinformation is only likely to increase as the race for a Covid-19 vaccine intensifies.

Why who gets to tell Australian stories matters

As a democratic society, we are reliant on a strong and representative fourth estate to balance power relations and hold the powerful to account. In a multicultural society, only a more inclusive approach will lead to greater relevance to the population.

Closing the diversity gap in TV news

Australia’s television news media acutely lacks cultural and linguistic diversity, according to new research by four Australian universities in partnership with Media Diversity Australia.

Sharing to social media: Sensationalism or social good?

People should consider the implications of posting images and footage of tragic events online, says UNSW’s Alyce McGovern. 

How social media bots seed social discord

The widespread proliferation of low-quality, unsophisticated but persistent disinformation and political influence efforts on social media can crowd out genuine information.

A lifeline for Australian media?

Cash strapped Australian media companies have been thrown a lifeline through a new draft code which allows them to bargain – individually or collectively – with Google and Facebook to be paid for the content they provide.

Why do conspiracy theorists film themselves spurning face masks?

Taking away the immediate validation which conspiracy theorists are showered with when they post these videos online would remove a lot of the reason for making them in the first place.

The rise and fall of TikTok

With its back to the wall, the company behind the highly successful TikTok app is throwing everything it can at stave off further bans around the world, given fears over user privacy and its links to the Chinese Communist Party.