Australians turn their back on the news

A new survey suggests that Australians are less interested in news and consume less of it than people in similar countries. Two thirds of Australians have no interest in politics at all. What are the consequences of this growing apathy for Australian public debate?

5 ways to improve election coverage

Political parties examine their election results and look to improve, but media organisations seldom question their role or performance. Here are five ways they could help provide better electoral coverage.

Rugby Australia vs Israel Folau

A hearing on Wallabies star Israel Folau’s alleged breach of contract over his social media posts is set to pit Rugby Australia’s code of conduct against issues of fairness and even human rights.

How fake news gets into our minds, and what you can do to resist it

The way our memory works means it might be impossible to resist fake news completely but thinking like a scientist could help. This involves adopting a questioning attitude that is motivated by curiosity, and being aware of personal bias.

Goodbye Google+, but what happens when online communities close down?

Google+ is the latest online community to shut down, forcing users to seek other options. So why are organisations pulling away from user-generated content such as reviews, comments and debates?

Media and broadcasting in the age of hate

The tragic events in Christchurch pose, yet again, agonising questions for journalists as well as politicians and policy makers.

How second hand social media profiling can target you

A new study has found that people can be accurately profiled by using data from their friends’ accounts, even when they have deleted their own social media.

How ‘access journalism’ undermines real investigations

An allegation is not necessarily a story, nor is a “link to something” automatically evidence. There needs to be larger conversation about what constitutes proper public evidence, proper reliable sources and transparency