We Used to be Journos

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.

In this episode Antoinette takes a close look at the politics and culture journal Quarterly Essay and finds that it doesn’t quite reflect the "widest range of political, intellectual and cultural opinions."Also, the years-long “civil war” in Sudan might sound like it has little to do with Australia but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Not that you’d know it from our media.Plus, the high school reporters taking their principals to court cover freedom of speech and what this tells us about the current news cycle.SUBSCRIBE and help keep Ette Media independent here. TIPS & FEEDBACK tips@ettemedia.com Shout out to producer Soaliha Iqbal and shooter/editor Lachlan French.

This week, immigration was top of the agenda. On Monday, One Nation announced its immigration policy. Then, on Thursday Labor followed suit with a “targeted” migration policy approach. After closely watching the week culminate in Burke’s National Press Club address, Jan Fran reckons his targeted migration approach has hit the wrong target. 

Jan and Antoinette chat through the Federal Government’s attempt to regulate social media algorithms and why they’re a little dubious. Plus, Macklemore accuses Ed Sheeran of being ‘apolitical’... except that he’s not, and Antoinette has the receipts. Also, Anthony Albanese claps back at Pauline Hanson’s comments about his mother, but Jan’s not buying the backstory or the moving coverage. An update on our Samsung story and how to disable being fed Murdoch rage bait. Plus a shout-out to one organisation that’s helped us re-frame the deluge of apocalyptic AI headlines.   Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.Thanks for our shooter/editor: Lachlan French Send us your tips and feedback tips@ettemedia.com 

Zohran Mamdani will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks as the first Muslim mayor of New York City. Jan Fran’s first question is … and? This week, families of some of the 9/11 victims (flanked by myriad Republican politicians of course) presented him with a petition urging him not to attend the memorial at Ground Zero. Why?  In this episode, Jan Fran goes through the petition and finds it’s as clarifying as it is ambiguous.