News Weakly

NEWS WEAKLY 159 – EDITORIAL EDITIONA podcast where we punch the news in the headlines… weakly.Title: The Hypernormalisation of Journalistic Jingoism Summary:A few weeks ago, India and Pakistan were one bad decision away from nuclear war. But you wouldn’t know that from the news coverage. You’d think Karachi had been flattened, Pakistani generals were surrendering en masse, and Indian fighter jets had laser-blasted their way to the gates of Islamabad—if you watched Indian TV news, that is. Spoiler: none of it happened. What did happen was a masterclass in disinformation, state propaganda, media jingoism, and the dangerous, ridiculous, terrifying theatre of war-as-content.In this special editorial edition, Sami Shah takes a blowtorch to the concept of hypernormalisation—where fake news becomes realer than truth, and everyone knows it’s bullshit but plays along anyway. From the USS Maine to Vietnam, from Colin Powell's slideshow to Karachi’s imaginary destruction to from Pakistan’s own delusions—we trace the long, painful, deeply stupid history of war narratives shaped not by fact, but by flag-waving fantasy.And we end where it matters most: here in Australia. With one last bastion against this wave of reality-denial. A flawed, bald-headed, beige-toned but vital institution: the ABC. Why public broadcasting matters more than ever. And why we lose it at our peril.Quote of the Week:“I don’t know why but there needs to be a study into whether approving another season of Hard Quiz results in male pattern baldness or being bald predisposes one to approving another season of Spicks and Specks.”Support the ShowLike your news satire free-range, cruelty-free, and ad-free?Join the News Weakly Patreon at patreon.com/samishah for scripts, exclusives, and bonus content.CreditsSami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.For more: http://thesamishah.comTheme music “Historic Anticipation” by Paul MottramThis podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

NEWS WEAKLY 158 – 17th May, 2025A podcast where we punch the news in the headlines... weakly.Top Stories of the WeekLiberals and Greens crowd the glass cliff!Donald Trump goes shopping for Gulf influence and possibly a jet!Instagram’s algorithm recommends children to predators!Quote of the Week“Women aren’t being given opportunities for leadership—they’re being forced into disaster babysitting.”Support the ShowLike your news satire free-range, cruelty-free, and ad-free?Join the News Weakly Patreon at patreon.com/samishah for scripts, exclusives, and bonus content.CreditsSami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.For more: http://thesamishah.comTheme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul MottramThis podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

NEWS WEAKLY 157 – 10th May, 2025A podcast where we punch the news in the headlines... weakly.Top Stories of the WeekIndia and Pakistan compete in new drone-catching sport!A collection of post-election misconceptions!A Woke Pope!Quote of the Week“NewsCorp is the herpes of media empires: just because you can’t see it right now doesn’t mean it’s not about to flare up again.”Support the ShowLike your news satire free-range, cruelty-free, and ad-free?Join the News Weakly Patreon at patreon.com/samishah for scripts, exclusives, and bonus content.CreditsSami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.For more: http://thesamishah.comTheme music 'Historic Anticipation' by Paul MottramThis podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

NEWS WEAKLY – 156 (5th May, 2025): Post-Election Dissection and ErectionEvery week, Sami Shah (ABC, The Gadfly)—comedian, journalist, and award-winning writer of words—copies the news stories off of a website then pretends like he wrote them himself, then starts a debate about who actually does own the news, while claiming he didn't copy, just takes inspiration very very literally.TOP STORIES OF THE WEEKPeter Dutton gives orgasms!The Greens are green with envy!Who polls the pollsters!QUOTE OF THE WEEK“A man whose idea of unity was dog-whistling so loudly even actual dogs said, ‘Mate, bit much.’”– On Peter Dutton's leadership styleSUPPORT THE SHOWLove News Weakly? Keep it funded by joining the Patreon:patreon.com/samishahSami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.For more: http://thesamishah.comTheme music ‘Historic Anticipation’ by Paul MottramThis podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

Every week, Sami Shah (ABC, The Gadfly)—comedian, journalist, and award-winning writer of words—copies the news stories off of a website then pretends like he wrote them himself, then starts a debate about who actually does own the news, while claiming he didn't copy, just take inspiration very very literally.TOP STORIES OF THE WEEKElection Shenanigans!Also, India and Pakistan rattle sabres!And, Canada votes, no one cares!QUOTE OF THE WEEK“It’s American culture without the calories and chronic diarrhoea.” – On Australia’s election season cosplay chaosSUPPORT THE SHOWLove News Weakly? Keep it funded by joining the Patreon:👉 patreon.com/samishahSami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.For more: http://thesamishah.comTheme music ‘Historic Anticipation’ by Paul MottramThis podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.

NEWS WEAKLY – EPISODE 154“Consistency of Hypocrisy” – 19 April, 2025TOP OPINION OF THE WEEK:Guantanamo never closed, the rules-based order never applied, and now the cruelty once exported is finally coming home.Also:Australians detained and deported from the US despite valid visasTransgender travellers profiled and imprisoned in VillawoodPeter Dutton wants to cancel your citizenshipAnd Trump’s latest plan? Outsourcing US citizens to El Salvadoran prisons!From offshore detention to ICE raids, from CIA coups to the maskless face of empire, this week we look at what happens when systems built for them start turning on us—and why moral consistency, not just outrage, is what really matters.QUOTE OF THE WEEK:“If you only care when it’s you, that’s not morality. That’s narcissism with an accent.”Support the Show:Listen ro News Weakly ad-free by joining Sami on Patreon: patreon.com/samishahSami Shah is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, journalist, and broadcaster.For more: http://thesamishah.comTheme music: “Historic Anticipation” by Paul MottramThis podcast is written, hosted, and produced by Sami Shah.