News update for Fri 9 Aug 2024
Your trusted guide to the top independent news and views of the day...
Welcome to your TrueNorth news update where every weekday afternoon we share curated articles from Australia’s independent news media sector.
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‘Massive disinformation campaign’ is slowing global transition to green energy - The Guardian
Fossil fuel companies are running “a massive mis- and disinformation campaign” so that countries will slow down the adoption of renewable energy and the speed with which they “transition away” from a carbon-intensive economy, the UN has said.
Selwin Hart, the assistant secretary general of the UN, said that talk of a global “backlash” against climate action was being stoked by the fossil fuel industry, in an effort to persuade world leaders to delay emissions-cutting policies. The perception among many political observers of a rejection of climate policies was a result of this campaign, rather than reflecting the reality of what people think, he added.
Also read > UK Riots: How the Right-Wing Press Fought to Stop Laws to Combat Online Disinformation - Byline News
Paris Kiss: Nine Entertainment gets no Olympic medal for buying its own shares - Michael West Media
The fate of fossil media lies in the balance if share market antics and mass sackings at Seven, Nine and News Corp are any gauge. Michael West on share buy-backs, government mollycoddling and tumbling valuations.
Long-suffering journalists at Nine Entertainment Group, principally those at the SMH and The Age, can hardly have been enchanted to see their chief executive Mike Sneesby swanning around Paris for the Olympic Games. Here they were fighting him for a pay rise – they even went on strike for five days – while The Sneese was frolicking in the City of Love.
Read more from Michael West Media
Also >
Interview: Nine paid $305 million for the Olympics. Was it worth it? -
FEAR & GREED PodcastHow much did each Olympic medal cost Gina Rinehart? - Crikey (paywall)
Women lead Australia to most successful Olympics ever - Women’s Agenda
Paul Keating: The military control of Australia - Pearls and Irritations
The Albanese government with their policy is likely to turn Australia into the 51st state of the United States, writes former Prime Minister of Australia, Paul Keating.
Introduction: Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have been in the US for talks with the Secretaries of Defense and State this week. Australia has pledged to increase the frequency of American troops rotating through the country.
Former prime minister Paul Keating is a critic of the Labor Party’s all-in support for the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine deal, and our growing military relationship with the US.
“In defence and foreign policy, this is not a Labor government,” Mr Keating said. “This is a party which has adopted the defence and foreign policies of the Morrison Liberal government. “This is a sellout.”
Read more from Paul Keating for Pearls and Irritations
Also read >
Aukus pact will turn Australia into ‘51st state’ of the US, says Paul Keating - The Guardian
Australia to accept nuclear material in new AUKUS deal - Michael West Media
Newsroom edition: ‘alert but not afraid’ the changing nature of terrorism - The Guardian’s Full Story Podcast
The Australian government has raised the terror threat level from possible to probable. No single issue or ideology led to this rise, but as extremism spreads online – and in our communities – how concerned should we be? Bridie Jabour speaks to Guardian Australia’s head of news, Mike Ticher, and deputy editor Gabrielle Jackson about why the threat of terrorism is rising around the world and what we can do to stop it
Listen to The Guardian’s Full Story Podcast
Poor at politics, strong on policy - Inside Story
If the media coverage was any guide, Andrew Giles was the big loser when Anthony Albanese reshuffled his cabinet last weekend. Though he was moved sideways rather than demoted, he was widely seen as a victim of his own performance as immigration minister.
Abetted by many in the media, the Coalition had for months been targeting Giles as the government’s weakest link, particularly over his response to the unanimous November 2023 High Court decision that indefinite detention is unconstitutional. That “revolutionary” ruling forced the federal government to release around 150 non-citizens, many of whom had served criminal sentences or who had been denied visas on character grounds.
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Pat Turner on Indigenous empowerment, Closing the Gap, and future Indigenous leadership - The Conversation
Pat Turner is lead convener of the Coalition of Peaks and CEO of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), and she joins the podcast.
Listen to the Politics with Michelle Grattan for The Conversation
Today’s cartoon by Glen Le Lievre
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here
News media has changed but our needs stay the same - Independent Australia
Although the internet, smartphones and social media have destroyed the world of print journalism, needs haven’t changed — only the means of assembly and discovery.
Online stores outrank news sites. So are the alleged funnies, no longer monochrome comic strips but full-colour videos. Sport and entertainment pull the clicks.
The difference between now and then is the delivery system — an intimate screen instead of a spread of newsprint.
Read more in Independent Australia
Richard Denniss: There are no more safe seats - The Saturday Paper
At the last election, the Liberals lost six seats to independents. Not only that, they lost some of the “safest” seats in the country. In the Sydney seat of Mackellar, for instance, Sophie Scamps beat Jason Falinski despite his 13.2 per cent margin. Neither Scamps nor her campaign manager had run an election before.
The reasons for this are simple enough, but the ramifications are enormous. Put bluntly: there is no such thing as a “safe seat” anymore.
Read more from Richard Denniss for The Saturday Paper (paywall)
Tim Dunlop: What have the "teals" every done for us - Well, there's the aqueducts - The Future of Everything
The other day at a press conference, the leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, with his signature smile on his face, a skip in his step, and with a kind word for everyone, posed what he seemed to think was a chilling proposition: “Can anyone name anything the teals have achieved since they’ve been in parliament?”
As framed, the question focussed on the community independents’ role in parliament, a role necessarily proscribed by the inbuilt two-team bias against which smaller parties and independents are constantly fighting, everything from staff allocations to committee representation to the ability to ask questions during Question Time.
Nonetheless, smiling Pete fell into his own Monty Python trap, and Climate 200, the community crowd-funded initiative founded by Simon Holmes à Court, shot back with their list of policies and issues that can be justifiably be held up as examples of the against-the-odds parliamentary achievements attributable to the “teals”.
Read more from Tim Dunlop for The Future of Everything
Anthony Klan: AAT savaged by Information Commissioner - The Klaxon
The nation’s Freedom of Information Commissioner has savaged the embattled Administrative Appeals Tribunal over a string of breaches and called for a major overhaul of its processes over serious failures in handing over documents to a member of the public.
Freedom of Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd has found the Administrative Appeals Tribunal had ”unduly delayed” providing documents; improperly disclosed private information — and “made contradictory statements” as to the “existence of documents” applied for.
Commissioner Tydd, whose appointment to the role was announced in May, has called for the AAT to officially apologise, issued it with 13 “formal recommendations”, and given it timelines of between one and three months to comply, it can be revealed.
Read more from Anthony Klan for The Klaxon
Marie Coleman AO joins SpinProof
This week on the SpinProof live podcast, Denise speaks with Marie Coleman AO. Marie is regarded as a national treasure having been directly involved in politics for decades, first starting as a writer and journalist and was then the first woman in Australia to head a national statutory authority when Whitlam appointed here as head of The National Social Welfare Commission.
Marie shares her views on the current state of politics both here and overseas. She discusses the fall in support for major parties, the changing role of media in our democracy and the strides women have made in the last 50 years with more to do particularly in areas such as domestic violence.
Marie also reminds that we’ve experienced upheaval in politics before and our constant vigilance is still required.
Yet another worthwhile listen as we’re joined by this inspirational Australian.
Listen to the SpinProof replay here
Bernard Keane: The corporate media is far more powerful than social media in inciting extremism - Crikey
Everyone is blaming social media for a rise in extremism, but the mainstream media, with its wider reach and legitimacy, is doing more to drive extremism than the likes of Twitter.
When the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) this week lifted Australia’s national terrorism threat level, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was because of social media: multiple mainstream media outlets emphasised that social media was driving extremism.
The head of ASIO, Mike Burgess, indeed mentioned social media — albeit only once — and referred to “the internet and social media — the primary platform for radicalisation”. But Burgess also said two other things of interest…
“Anti-authority beliefs are growing. Trust in institutions is eroding. Provocative, inflammatory behaviours are being normalised … This is really a matter for everyone — community leaders, politicians, the media — watch your words, watch your actions”.
Read more from Bernard Keane for Crikey (paywall)
Also read > Small publications ‘won’t be at the mercy of algorithms’: Preparing for possible Meta news ban - MediaWeek
This week’s Democracy Quiz question…
Q. US Vice President and Democratic Presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, has announced Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, would be her running mate for the November election. What was Governor Walz’s occupation before he entered politics? ?
1. Fireman
2. Paramedic
Do you have a quiz question? Email us here.
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Corruption commissioner Paul Brereton removed himself from robodebt referrals due to ‘relationship’, documents show - The Guardian
The cost of living crisis is really a housing crisis - Pearls and Irritations
Giving early childhood educators an extra 15% is good policy, and even better politics - The Conversation
Is Australia failing to teach kids to read? - 7am Podcast
Gambling Alliance is spot-on about disappointing ad ban - Pearls and Irritations
Global wind capacity set to double by 2030, but will fall short of COP28 climate goals - Renew Economy
Has the far right fury fizzled out? - The News Agents
Robert Reich: Why isn't the media reporting on Trump's increasing dementia?
Victoria goes on hunt for new prison phone provider - The Justice Map
NT 2024 Election – nominations close - The Tally Room
Elon may be a terrible platform proprietor but he's got a point in his court case against advertisers - Tim Burrowes for Unmade
Refugees and asylum seekers are camping 24/7 outside Tony Burke’s office - Pearls and Irritations
Bruce Lehrmann’s property raided by National Anti-Corruption Commission and police - The Guardian
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here
Share your views on Australia’s media landscape through TrueNorth’s short survey
You’re up to date for Friday the 9th of August. See you on Monday!
TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS: See all the breaking news of the day through The Guardian here - and through 6 News here