Victoria moves to curb online abuse

Proposed laws in Victoria to curb online trolling, hateful tweets and death threats could be a step in the right direction to protect people from abuse while maintaining freedom of speech.

In praise of democracy’s detectives

The news for journalism in the past decade has been decidedly glum but investigative journalism – the highest form of the craft – is actually in a healthy state.

Twitter and Facebook counter China’s information onslaught

The bans on Chinese propaganda accounts by Twitter and Facebook highlights how the Chinese government uses media power to shape the narrative and project its own interests.

Friends, Romans, fake news

In a world of ‘alternative facts’ and spin, Shakespeare’s plays can help teach us how to grasp complexity and expose manipulation.

Journalism is in crisis but public funding could help

The recent ACCC report argues that journalism is a public good in crisis, and so there is ample justification for government action.

There’s no saving traditional news

Understanding the forces that drive the online economy is crucial for Australia’s policy makers and citizens.  Economic reality means that while we can put a leash on Google and Facebook, there’s no saving the traditional news model.

ACCC turns its guns on the digital platforms

While there are no quick fixes, the ACCC’s final report into digital platforms in Australia finds that powerful tech giants like Google and Facebook warrant close competition scrutiny.

Fixing Facebook

If Facebook was an experiment in creating a true “marketplace of ideas,” the results are disappointing, naively utopian and sometimes dangerous. Yet the platform has no easy solution for the daunting problem of moderating its two billion subscribers.

Governments are making fake news a crime – but will it stifle free speech?

Whenever governments get involved in policing the media – even for the best-intended reasons – there is always the possibility of corruption and a reduction in genuine free speech.

Cash for clicks?

The decision of the Herald Sun to pay its journalists cash bonuses for extra page views and subscriptions could have major implications for the future of the news industry and its role in our democracy.

The problems of policing the post-Christchurch internet

The Australian Parliament has passed legislation to punish social media platforms showing violent videos, but is the reaction to the Christchurch massacre right in principle and can it be effective in practice?

Australia’s media should reflect its cultural diversity

As we face a growing tide of unregulated hate speech, the role of the media is crucial in normalising diversity and demolishing the “othering” of difference that divides us. So how is the Australian media faring in the diversity stakes?