What the experts say on…social media restrictions

The Australian government has committed itself to imposing an age limit on social media before the next election, but is this a desirable or workable solution?

Tech bros and media barons

Is the world better off with “tech bros” like Elon Musk who demand unlimited freedom to brazenly assert their influence, or old-style media moguls who spin fine-sounding rhetoric about freedom of the press but exert influence under the cover of journalism?

Is there a future for commercial TV?

Australian commercial broadcasting once made its owners rich but a plethora of other viewing and advertising options means that its future is in doubt.

Is print kaput?

While the future of printed Australian newspapers is uncertain, it doesn’t spell the end of newspapers – or of a Murdoch’s influence on the news.

Talkin’ bout my generation

Social media is negatively impacting the life satisfaction of Australian high school students, according to the latest findings from Australia’s largest survey of young people.

The death – and rebirth – of local journalism

Local newspapers are dying out across Australia, as advertising and consumer attention moves online, but they still have a vital role to play in fostering social connection and a sense of community.

Saving kids from social media?

In response to growing public concern about the social affects of social media, the Albanese government will introduce legislation to enforce a minimum age for children to access major social platforms.

Defending democracy against disinformation

Australia needs an integrated approach to fighting disinformation from hostile foreign states.

Combating misinformation

The federal government’s proposed laws to curb rampant mis- and disinformation on social media need to have clearer definitions – and include the growing menace of mass produced, AI generated lies.

Could a tech tax save journalism?

Could a new tax make technology giants like Google and Meta pay for the news they distribute and profit from?

The men who killed the news

A new book examines the way modern media and technology moguls have dismantled journalistic ethics in pursuit of personal profit and undermined democracy itself.

No anarchy in the UK

A combination of better AI generated images, complicit social media platforms, hostile state actors and ‘post-truth’ politics threatens democracies around the world, but had little influence on Britain’s recent election.