We Used to be Journos

Jan and Antoinette look at how a violent attack on independent MP Helen Haines was politicised by The Australian, despite the scant details and evidence available.Antoinette reflects honestly on her time in Lebanon, why it’s a country of contrasts and what "holidaying" in a warzone is really like. Also, we bring you a special interview with local reporter Widad Francis about the multifaceted challenges of being a journalist in Lebanon.Plus, what extremist settler attacks on Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine reveal about the paper’s inconsistent ethical and editorial standards.And Jan Fran has strong feelings about ABC Radio National's Top 100 Books of All Time.Support Ette Media by subscribing here.Shooter/Editor: Lachlan French Send us your tips tips@ettemedia.com

In the span of 12 months Chile, Colombia and now (likely) Brazil will join Argentina and take a Trumpian turn by electing far-right leaders. As it happens, they are the top four largest economies in South America.This week Jan Fran takes a look at why a far-right wave is is making a splash across South America and what that has to do with the current US president and the man who was US President in 1823.

In this special episode, Jan Fran is joined by Soaliha Iqbal, Ette’s social media editor, who brings a unique Gen Z perspective on media and journalism.They talk about Soaliha’s time in online youth media, why Israel/Palestine was such a fraught story to cover, what made Soaliha finally quit and why she doesn’t aspire to be an ‘objective’ journalist. Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.Shooter/Editor: Lachy French Send us your tips tips@ettemedia.com

Sorry folks, there wont be an Only Fran this week. Antoinette is away and I'm traveling, which has made it a bit difficult to put one together for you this week. Figured I'd keep you updated.

*** A special deal for the Etterati - for a 30-day free subscription to Lamestream head to https://www.lamestream.com.au/ette and get Scott and Os’s breaking news and analysis for free.In this special episode, Jan Fran and Lamestream co-founder Scott Mitchell sit down for a long overdue chat about starting independent media companies. They trade war stories about coming up through the mainstream media, what made them finally decide to go independent and the future for smaller indi outlets.Plus, Scott talks about One Nation’s Victorian election campaign launch and the wildly racist video the media missed, while Jan brings some throwaway lines from the Australian Financial Review that have her cracking up because if she doesn’t laugh, she’ll cry.

This week Jan Fran takes a look at the battle between the Trump administration and the International Criminal Court, although can you really call it a battle when it’s only one side doing the battling? In addition to sanctioning individual members of the court, Donald Trump and his trusted Secretary of State, Marco Rubio are now considering sanctions against the entire organisation. If that happens it would be an unprecedented f**k you to international law by a man determined never to be bound by it.

In this special episode Jan and Antoinette take a deep dive into ABC’s 7.30 foreign policy interviews. They review forty-two interviews, by host Sarah Ferguson between mid 2022 - mid 2026 with international guests from conflict zones including Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel. The results are telling: Israeli guests are giving three times as much airtime as Palestinians, only Russia gets accused of propaganda, while asking for condemnation of violence is reserved for guests from one country only. And that’s just a snippet. Our data dive highlights how the public broadcaster echoes the Australian government’s views and international relationships — sometimes despite evidence and the expectations of international law. This was particularly prevalent with one country: Israel.You can read our analysis and the ABC’s full reply at www.ettemedia.comSupport Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.***Shooter/Editor: Lachlan FrenchProducer: Anushri Sood Data analyst: Dr Richard Bean Send us your tips and feedback tips@ettemedia.com

With the Macklemore Ed Sheeran saga continuing to play out in the headlines, some commentators have suggested it’s a watershed cultural moment that will help move the dial on Palestine.Jan Fran wonders which dial, because there are certain dials that aren't shifting at all and are, in fact, going backwards.