In this episode, Jan unpacks The Age’s coverage of an anti-Semitic incident in Melbourne while Antoinette takes a look at a different genocide and the conspicuous absence of major coverage of the Yoorrook Justice Commission landmark findings.

Plus, Jan and Antoinette pull apart the curious case of the “activist journalist” label—how it was framed, weaponised, and ultimately backfired as a centrepiece of the ABC’s defence.

But the real question is, what has the media learnt from Lattouf v ABC?

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If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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Antoinette Lattouf sued the ABC and won. In the very first episode of We Used To Be Journos, Antoinette joins Jan to unpack the legal showdown that not only exposed breathtaking incompetence at the broadcaster but also the hidden power and influence of lobby groups. Executives ducked accountability, lawyers flirted with racial erasure, and Lattouf's mental health history was dredged up before the country. And at the centre of it all? A protest at the Opera House that turned a journalist into a lobbyist target before she even stepped into the radio booth. You haven't heard the full story ... until now.

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In this episode, Jan and Antoinette have a candid and sometimes chaotic conversation about whether they still see themselves as journalists—and why they threw caution to the wind and launched an independent media company. This honest exploration of the Australian media industry is part reflection, part existential crisis.

It’s A No From Me: A dissection of a political TV debate that’s more spectacle than substance, and the framing of the massacre of Palestinians seeking help is manipulated to fit a narrative that’s as deadly as it is misleading.

It’s A Yes From Me: Antoinette gives a thumbs up to independent media peers who are growing and commissioning writers Cheek Media and DeepCut News.

Meanwhile, Jan shouts out British journalist Mona Chalabi’s interview on Real Talk —because sometimes, you just need a good interview to rewire your brain and remind you that you’re not alone.

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If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we take a look at Australia's antisemitism envoy and her plan to “monitor” and “advise” public broadcasters. Jillian Segal says her plan wont stifle criticism of Israel but we aren't so sure. We also have an honest conversation about the pro-Israel lobby and its influence on the Australian media, from all-expenses-junkets to Israel for top editors to those same editors punishing journalists for signing an open letter calling for fairer Gaza coverage.

It’s a No From Me: Lattouf dissects the pearl-clutching media panic over Albo’s China visit, while Jan stumbles on a spicy little column in The Australian that takes a personal swipe at this very pod (thanks for listening)!

And just to prove we can still see the good in the world, we shout out some media legends doing solid work.

This week:

Jess Harwood cartoonist

Anthony Klan of The Klaxon.

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If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode Jan and Antoinette unpack the sudden, strangely synchronised media concern for starving Palestinian children. Why now? What’s changed—and what still hasn’t? A look at the caveats, spin, and selective outrage still dominating the conversation.

We also look closely at the prestigious Andrew OIllie media lecture that is meant to be a forward-looking media lecture but curiously fails to glance at much of the present. 

We try not to throw up listening to the Nelk Boys hour-long interview with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu - an internationally wanted war criminal who was given a direct line to millions of young men via their podcast.  

And to end on a less soul-crushing note, we spotlight some solid investigative journalism that seeks to hold power to account. 

You can listen to Guardian journalist Nour Haydar’s inspiring lecture here.  

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If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode, Jan and Antoinette reflect on their decision to attend what’s being called Australia’s biggest anti-war march. Fresh off that Harbour Bridge high, they grapple with the chaotic, contradictory and downright distorted media framing of the protest. 

At the Logies, things felt … well, the same. Veteran Ray Martin’s speech piqued our interest but the moment was quickly lost. There’s also a not-so-stellar call that raises sharp questions about editorial integrity and sharper questions about morality. Under gentle duress, Jan gives (rare) praise to a podcast that cracks a historic code to reveal a dark truth and Antoinette tips her hat to a gutsy little newsletter punching well above its weight.

It’s A Yes:

The Descendants episode 1: decoding a massacre – Full Story podcast

TrueNorth Newsletter curated by Denise Shrivell

Where to donate to support Gaza: 

Plan International

Amnesty International

Medicines Sans Frontiers 

UNICEF Gaza crisis appeal

Jayson Gilham’s legal crowdfunding

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If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast. 

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This week, Jan and Antoinette are gutted by news that more of their Palestinian journalist colleagues - including Al Jazeera's Anas Al-Sharif - were killed in Gaza. Instead of honouring their work, much of the media repeated - nay led- with the Israeli line that they were “terrorists” despite a complete lack of evidence.  

We pull apart the evidence and long, well-documented history of Israel deliberately targeting the press, in what remains the only “conflict” where foreign journalists are banned from bearing witness. 

Also: we pull apart one tired claim from a former Attorney-General’s opinion piece and we examine the role of the press in the cancellation of a Palestinian cookbook author’s visa and why the outrage is often selective. 

We close with a few recommendations of the satirists and comedians landing blows the media won’t  - a reminder that sometimes the sharpest truths arrive wrapped in a punchline.

It’s a YES From me:

Chaser’s Instagram page

Geggy on Israel, The Greg Larson Show

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Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode, Jan examines the fishy relationship between Woodside Energy and Seven West Media. Antoinette looks at The Daily Telegraph revving up far-right, anti-immigration protests despite demonising other protests, a move that gives Jan flashbacks to the Cronulla Riots.  

Meanwhile, as Deepcut News breaks a story of censorship at the Bendigo's Writer's Festival, we spill some insider tea on a backflip of Palestinian voices at another publication. 

Plus, Jan and Antoinette swap survival tactics for dodging news fatigue without sticking their heads in the sand - and point out who’s tuning out, and why that’s a problem.

Deepcut News takes the lead on Bendigo Writer’s Festival

MEAA’s Stop Killing Journalists video

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Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode Antoinette (finally!) gives her reaction to the ABC’s new Public Comment Guidelines, which Jan calls the ‘Lattouf guidelines.’ The broadcaster says the new rules aren’t due to its Federal Court loss to Antoinette but we’re not so sure. We also examine the messy, co-dependent and ever-changing relationship between journalists and the public comments they were encouraged (then discouraged) to make on social media. 

Elsewhere, Sky’s Sharri Markson “interviews” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a “world exclusive” but it was less interview and more stenography with a side of flattery for the wanted war criminal who’s also credibly accused of committing genocide. Plus, the Bush Summit - a billionaire–backed, media-run roadshow - rolls into town where words like “net zero ideology” and “climategate” get cooked up, and served reheated as news.

Plus, some recognition for journalism-done-good, reassurance that cynicism hasn’t fully eaten our souls.

It’s a Yes From Me:

+972 Magazine Independent journalism from Israel-Palestine

The Guardian: Australia’s gun lobby says it’s ‘winning’ the fight against firearm control

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Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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Jan and Antoinette have been busting to share their inside Lebbo goss about Bob Katter. 

Also, we cover the coverage of the so-called March for Australia - a rally led by neo-Nazis and followed by limp reporting. 

The Herald Sun dibberdobs … again and the Canberra Midwinter Ball leaves Jan feeling icy as she watches old-school journalists and new school content creators clink glasses with the same old politicians. 

Plus: praise for the independent media organisation (of course) that delivered the much-needed analysis of the “anti-immigration” march, and a cartoonist whose pencil cuts straight through inequality. 

It’s a Yes From Me: 

Lamestream analysis

Cathy Wilcox cartoon

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With Antoinette away this week, Jan Fran holds down the fort with former BBC journalist and presenter Karishma Patel. Karishma walked out of the BBC in October 2024 over its coverage of Gaza and has since become one of its loudest and most public critics.

In this episode, she and Jan dive into life inside the BBC, what finally pushed her to resign, and why she’s now taking the organisation to task in public. They unpack the slippery word “impartiality” – how it so often doubles as a muzzle for journalists who dare to prod the status quo - and ask whether it’s more effective to stay and fight from the inside or cut loose and build something different. The pair also unpack the momentum around building a new media ecosystem.

Regular programming resumes next week.

You can find Karishma on Instagram 

You can read her piece in The Independent 

You can read her piece in The Guardian

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If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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We’re live at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne this week, handing out a report card on independent media now that Ette Media has survived its three-month probation.

Jan Fran, once reporting on Eurovision for SBS, is now not-happy-Jan at the broadcaster’s refusal to boycott if Israel takes the stage. 

Antoinette brings the receipts on The Daily Telegraph’s dodgy hit job against the Jewish Council of Australia, which just happened to interrupt the Council’s paid ad opposing genocide. 

And yes, it gets raw: the audience pulls no punches in the Q+A, and neither do we.

It’s A Yes From Me:

Antoinette tips her hat to ABC’s John Lyons for irritating President Trump.

Jan Fran can’t get enough of Greg Larsen’s eulogy of Charlie Kirk.

We Used To Be Journos live was originally presented on 20th September 2025 in

partnership with The Wheeler Centre

Follow Wheeler for more smart, passionate and entertaining

public talks.

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In an exclusive investigation, we look at Melbourne University Press’s decision to close one of Australia’s oldest literary journals. MUP says it’s about money, we reveal new testimony that says otherwise. So what’s it really about? 

Plus, we look at the saturation of media coverage following Charlie Kirk’s murder. We explore how the media should cover the far right, how “centrist media” gets it wrong and how the focus on one man distracted us from the biggest story in the world. 

And the Islamophobia envoy’s findings landed on a Friday - a slot reserved for news no one wants noticed but that’s not our main gripe.  

A Yes From Me:

Zeteo News: Charlie Kirk in His Own Words

ABC ‘The federal press gallery is ceding power to the Albanese government’

Our earlier episode on Antisemitism envoy findings

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If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode Jan and Antoinette try to answer the question many of you have asked: why am I agreeing with Candace Owens? They take a look at the divisions within the MAGA movement over Israel and why things aren’t quite what they seem. 

Plus, it costs $25 million to police protests in Victoria - or does it? We dig into that figure and not only is it inflated by we find certain politicians working with certain media outlets to manufacture a story.  

And, AI is coming for your ears. Jan looks at Inception Point AI - the new podcast company flooding the zone with thousands of podcasts episodes each week with not a human in sight.  

There’s also a shout out to one of our favourite columnists who also used to be a journo.  

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If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this bonus episode, Pulitzer Prize–winning US journalist Chris Hedges joins Antoinette Lattouf to unpack his time in Australia so far, including some fraught interactions with sections of the Australian media.

We also discuss what he flew all this way to talk about: how western journalists are betraying their colleagues in Gaza. 

Plus, Chris offers some honest advice for young people who still want to tell stories and speak truth to power.

Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.

Buy our new Etterati and It’s A No From Me T-shirts here. 

If you want to see our mugs as well as hear our dulcet tones you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode, as Anthony Albanese meets Donald Trump at the White House we take a look at the manufactured moment that saw former PM Kevin Rudd hit the headlines. 

Plus, we unpack the media’s warped definitions of a “ceasefire” in Gaza as near-identical coverage around the world tows the Israeli line and ignores Palestinians.   

And, with the commentary creep in journalism leaving audiences confused we proffer an unlikely solution. Also in medialand women get punted, men get promoted.   

It’s A Yes From Me: the U.S reporters resisting Trump’s creeping authoritarianism by hitting the pavement… in more ways than one. 

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Buy our new Etterati and It’s A No From Me T-shirts here. 

If you want to see our mugs as well as hear our dulcet tones you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode, a tip off leads Jan and Antoinette to discover a U.S. website had published the private phone numbers of high profile Australians including the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and the NSW Premier. 

Some awkward verification calls followed as well as some questions about what the PM knew and when.   

We take you through the story from start to finish and wade through the world of AI-driven data scraping to understand what this means for your privacy (and the PMs)

In It's a No From Me, Antoinette adds The West Australian’s ceasefire editorial to the “vile pile”, plus some TLDR tips on spotting below average “expert” takes on Gaza.

In It’s a Yes From Me, Jan Fran salutes The Shot and The Sunday Shot and  Antoinette cheers on an opinion piece about Senator David Pocock tackling the gambling lobby. 

LinkedIn spokesperson statement: “Our policies are clear that any unauthorised scraping of data from LinkedIn is prohibited. In addition to the technology and teams we’ve long had in place to stop unauthorised data scraping, we continue to invest in new defenses to protect our members’ data. You can read about our latest efforts here.

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If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode we reveal what really happened behind the scenes of Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hedges’ National Press Club address - a talk that vanished from the schedule. Was it ever confirmed, did it get cancelled or did the NPC, as Hedges alleges, cave to the Israel lobby? We’ve got the paper trail.  

Also, the Trump administration’s crackdown on press freedom takes a dark turn: a veteran journalist is arrested while live streaming an ICE raid and then kicked out of the country by the same immigration body he’d been filming.

We also unpack Israel’s latest influencer campaign targeting Gen Z, a glossy front in the propaganda war during its genocide in Gaza.

Plus, a nod to the SBS doco on robodebt and its inadvertent role in providing much needed media literacy and a quick shout to a new toolkit for starting your own hyperlocal newsroom.

Grab your tickets to A Night of Humanity at Enmore Theatre here.

Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.

If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode, Jan and Antoinette unpack how parts of the media managed to spin a fake letter into a real panic about a new mosque in Western Sydney. No less than three separate media outlets whipped up outrage over a story with some shaky foundations. 

We also name and shame the daily newspaper that accidentally printed a ChatGPT prompt in its own business story, and what that slip says about how deep AI already runs in newsrooms… including ours.  

Plus, Jan got shadowbanned on Instagram and had to get her norks out. Is this really what it takes to break free of a shadowban?

Antoinette watches a cluster of News Corp journalists get probed for alleged racism, in a case that could end up before the Federal Court while Jan salutes our Etterati for their sharp eyes and ears (and dobbing skills). 

Grab your tickets to our live shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

• Almost sold out:  ‘Etterati: Members Only’ or ‘It’s A No From Me’ tee grab here.
• Watch the episode in full here if you want to see our mugs as we yap.

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In this episode, Jan and Antoinette examine the BBC ‘bias’ scandal that saw its director general and head of news resign. They go through the complaint letter that kicked off the scandal and examine other accusations of bias that haven't gotten nearly as much attention. 

Plus, as two Leb chicks who grew up in Sydney’s western suburbs in the early 2000s - Jan and Antoinette have memories of John Laws that are very different to the gushing media coverage of his passing.   

Also, Antoinette salutes the AFR for sniffing out The West Australian’s suspiciously glowing coverage of one ASX darling, while Jan backs the Italian journalist fired for asking a question about Gaza - and the colleague who asked it again, just louder.

Buy tickets to our LIVE SHOWS in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Canberra here. 

Support Ette Media by becoming a SUBSCRIBER here.

If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can WATCH THE EPISODE in full here.

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In this episode, Jan takes a look at the use of AI in New York’s mayoral race and finds Cuomo’s campaign ads against Zohran Mamdani don’t just bend the truth but snap it completely and add a good dose of racism. This can’t be the future of political advertising…or can it? 

Also, the Coalition reckons net zero is “too toxic” but Antoinette discovers it’s only toxic to billionaires with an agenda and a media empire.  

Plus, news of long running atrocities in Sudan find their way into Western headlines but why now? 

It’s a Yes: The new magazine that mixes politics, culture and art to achieve a lofty goal and a much-loved indi media company tries to break free of the algorithm. 

Sudan coverage tips: follow Yousra Elbagir  Sky News UK’s Africa correspondent, Yassmin Abdel-Magied or Sudanese journalist Almigdad Hassan and follow updates from Sudanese Journalists Syndicate.

• Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here and you’ll get first dibs on tickets for our NATIONAL TOUR BABY!
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• Watch the episode in full here if you want to see our mugs.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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Egyptian-Canadian journalist Omar El Akkad joins Antoinette Lattouf on stage at the Queenscliff Literary Festival for a searingly honest and intimate conversation.

The author of ‘One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This’, confronts a brutal question: what does it mean to live in the US while its government bankrolls, supports and enables Palestinian ethnic cleansing? He speaks to his sense of personal complicity, silence and the media’s role in manufacturing consent.

Yet even as despair presses in, El Akkad refuses to surrender hope. He explains why giving up is a luxury Palestinians cannot afford and neither can those who claim to stand with them.

This is a conversation that refuses comfort.

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Omar El Akkad's book One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.

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As former ABC chair Ita Buttrose promotes her latest book Jan and Antoinette pull apart the plentiful puff pieces. 

Antoinette hunts for proof of Melbourne’s machete epidemic and finds it exists mainly in headlines.  

Plus who is watching free to air TV… no really who? Because we crunched some numbers and they don't add up. 

Also a double shout out to the Labor Party (yes, shocking): first for new AI laws that make it harder for big tech to take artists’ work for free, and second to the junior staffer whose leaked memo lays out the party’s Gaza gaslighting talking points.

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Buy an ‘Etterati: Members Only’ or ‘It’s A No From Me’ tee here.

If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode Jan and Antoinette dig into a family violence story that manages to break (almost) every reporting guideline.

Antoinette explains the latest escalation in the Daily Telegraph’s ‘undercover Jew’ mess at Cairo Takeaway restaurant, while Jan canvasses the good, the bad and the weird views of the Sydney Morning Herald.   

Plus, the journalist sex-scandal featuring Robert F Kennedy that Jan (shamefully) can’t get enough of and Mariah Carey caught up in X’s MAGA location reveal. 

Grab your tickets to our live shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.

If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic and family violence, you should report it to the police.

Support and counselling is available from the following agencies:

• DVConnect Womensline: 1800 811 811
• DVConnect Mensline: 1800 600 636
• 1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732
• 13YARN: 13 92 76

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In this episode, Jan and Antoinette focus on the first 24-hours of media coverage of the antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi that left 15 people dead.  

They examine how the story unfolded, which voices were given prominence, the role of social media in circulating original and often horrifying footage, and how easily misinformation spreads and how certain narratives take hold. 

It is a careful, unsparing look at how news is constructed and politicised under pressure, and what is lost when speed overtakes care.

Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.

Buy tickets to our live show It’s A No From Me. 

If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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As the social media ban kicks off, Jan and Antoinette find themselves disagreeing on its merits. 

Plus, we take a look at the rage-bait tabloid media machine currently targeting influencer Abbie Chatfield and the hypocrisy powering it all. 

And as boycott calls grow over Israel’s participation in Eurovision, SBS doubles down on a dud decision. 

We salute journalists who stay cool while being smacked by studio gear and airborne wildlife, and a poem in an unexpected place leaves us feeling unexpectedly seen.

• Brisbane live show guest announcements: TV presenter Myf Warhurst and comedian Anisa Nanduala will be joining us! Get tickets to our stage tour.
• Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.
• If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.
• Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode Jan and Antoinette delve into accusations of racism at the TikTok awards and speak to some big content creators who say this isn’t the first time they’ve felt shunned by the industry. 

Also, Trump adds media outlets who dare critically report on potentially unlawful strikes in Venezuela to an official White House naughty list. 

Plus we mark the two year anniversary of an open letter, signed by 300+ Australian journalists, that called for fairer Gaza–Israel coverage. Has anything changed since then? (spoiler: bring a pillow to scream into).

A nod goes to Zee Feed, the small newsletter doing some heavy lifting and a confused raised eyebrow goes to The Monthly for comparing outlaws.  

Catch us, Claudia Karvan and L-Fresh The Lion at our Sydney live show! Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra can be purchased here.

Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.

If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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Independent journalist Antony Loewenstein joins Jan Fran to discuss how he's processing the Bondi terror attacks both as a Jewish man and long-time advocate for Palestine.

Antony and Jan move through the tension between allowing victims time to grieve and needing to challenge political agendas that seek to curb our civil liberties. 

Antony talks through what he believes is driving the rise in antisemitism, and why parts of the Jewish diaspora feel increasingly alienated from Israel. He also lays out why the crowd must keep speaking and moving, even when the powerful wish the masses would go silent.

• Need a last minute gift? Tickets to our live shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane can be bought here.
• Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.
• Follow The Antony Lowenstein Podcast here. 
• If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Part one of our summer special is your Q&A therapy session disguised as a podcast. We answer all your burning questions.

We talk about twenty years of friendship, juggling being fledgling media moguls with sanity, staying clear-eyed in the chaos and navigating holiday conversations with problematic fam. 

Tickets to our live shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane can be bought here.

• Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.
• Follow The Antony Lowenstein Podcast here. 

If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

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In this episode, Jan Fran speaks with the woman at the centre of the collapse of the Adelaide Writers Festival, Palestinian author and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah. 

The conversation is blunt and urgent. They talk about censorship, lobby pressure on cultural institutions, what it means to keep speaking as a Palestinian Australian as media outlets launder bad faith attacks, and the focus drifts anywhere but Gaza. 

TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW CAN BE BOUGHT HERE. 

SUPPORT ETTE MEDIA BY BECOMING A SUBSCRIBER HERE.

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Part two of our summer special brings another round of Etterati questions, and this batch is delightfully varied.

Prehistoric animal favourites. Media predictions for 2035. Practical tips for the days when hope feels elusive.

• Tickets to our live shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane can be bought here.
• Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.
• Follow The Antony Lowenstein Podcast here. 
• If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

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In this episode, we look at the many red flags surrounding Labor’s new hate speech laws as well as the mainstream media’s strikingly uniform response to them. 

Jan provides an update on the sale of TikTok. Americans can stop worrying about China controlling their data and algorithms because a small group of pro-Trump billionaires has that covered now. Antoinette breaks down Australia Day polls and offers a toolkit for spotting agendas in the opaque polling world.

There’s also a shout out to the women taking on pornographic deepfakes made by X’s Grok, plus an illuminating piece on the Beckham family feud, which Jan has a strange and (and unverified) theory about  

• FINAL tickets to our live show can be bought here .
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• If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

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In this episode Jan and Antoinette look at the fight to control the narrative over protests in Iran where the death toll has exceeded 3000. 

With an internet block out, state media tightly controlled, foreign actors bragging about armed interference, and exiled figures presenting themselves as the solution, protestors and their plight largely disappear from the story - by design. 

Meanwhile, Trump’s press secretary snaps at another reporter - this time to dodge a basic question about the shooting of an unarmed mother by an ICE agent. 

There’s also a shout out to some responsible reporting on neo-Nazi material and a peak at the growing influence of InDaily SA, the newspaper muscling in on Murdoch's territory in Adelaide.  

TIPS FROM ANTOINETTE ON IRANIAN WOMEN TO FOLLOW:

Tara Kangarlou Iranian journalist, author and NGO founder

Gissou Nia Iraninan human rights lawyer

Samira Mohyeddin Iranian journalist and academic

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In this episode, we dissect the media’s coverage of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia. We look at how two networks asked very different questions, analyse the warm, sympathetic coverage in the lead up and keep an eye on the outlets that dutifully repeated government lines even as footage showed police violence in plain sight.

We also look at what was missing from most of the coverage. Hint: it was any mention of the genocide. 

Also, Australian commercial radio outs itself yet again as tacitly racist after Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance.

And Today host Karl Stefanovic launches a podcast that winks hard at a far right audience.

Plus a shout out to The Point, an independent think tank’s new publishing arm, stacked with good writers.

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Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode, the current state of Australian media is examined through Jan Fran and Antoinette’s decades long journeys in the industry.

They talk about how they broke into journalism, caught the tail end of television’s heyday, watched social media splinter audiences, and now brace for what AI is about to do to journalism and truth. They also maintain a decades-long grudge against their less-than-encouraging high school careers advisers.

In the end they land somewhere cautiously optimistic: independent media is growing and audiences want better.

Tickets to our final Canberra live show can be bought here.

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If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode, Jan Fran and Antoinette look at the Australian media’s coverage of the U.S and Israeli attack on Iran and show how a narrative gets set in the first 24-48 hours. 

They also unpack Paramount’s $111billion takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, a deal that may suit Donald Trump but raises serious concerns for CNN, which could face the same kind of corporate and editorial pressure that has unsettled CBS.

Plus, Jan Fran reckons a Good Weekend profile of ABC chair Kim Williams subtly reveals why he didn’t settle the Lattouf case before it got to the Federal Court. 

Also, a recognition for Guardian reporting that centres Australian children stranded in Syria, and a London Substack that took on a billionaire landlord and secured tenants a win.

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Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode, Jan Fran and Antoinette examine why the BBC cut out a BAFTA winner’s acceptance speech on human rights but kept in the moment the n-word was yelled across the stage. They also chuckle at the slew of actors squirming when asked about politics at the Berlin Film Festival. 

Plus, Donald Trump says he’ll release classified documents about aliens and  Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan lowkey bullies a reporter when pressed on the CFMEU scandal.

Jan’s It’s A Yes From Me goes to Dropsite News for its detailed reporting on Jeffrey Epstein’s links to powerful people and places.  

Antoinette’s pick is Crikey’s Cut Through podcast for its clear-eyed, news-breaking investigation into Palantir, data surveillance, and how Australian government money continues to back the company despite links to unlawful ICE raids and AI-assisted attacks in Gaza.

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In this episode, we lay out the parallels between political attacks on a UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories and a former Australian of the Year, and how large chunks of the media swallowed both with minimal scrutiny.

We also share insider context and discuss how “harmful” reporting by the Canberra Times forced First Nations commissioner Vanessa Turnbull Roberts to go public about her sexual assault. 

Plus, why Angus Taylor’s media blitz is a harbinger for what’s to come in the “debate” about immigration.   

Responding to Etterati calls for ‘It’s A Yes From Me’, Antoinette singles out The Guardian’s excellent roundup of the sharpest insults politicians have lobbed at each other.

Jan pulls double duty, backing AAP Fact Check and celebrating the sweet spot where sharp writing, strong connections, heavy research and hot goss meet, courtesy of former magazine editor Tina Brown’s Substack.

Tsuno discount code is 'ETTE' to get 30% off your first order at tsuno.com.au

Buy an Etterati shirt here.

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Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this new Saturday break out series, Only Fran, Jan Fran looks at the who and the why of our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. 

As the US-Israel war on Iran escalates, Jan takes a look at the man who went from strongly opposing “US militarism” to becoming the first world leader to support it. 

Producer: Antoinette Lattouf

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Only Fran (OF) hit a lil logistical speed bump this week.

The Ette duo will be in your ears on Wednesday with We Used To Be Journos - then Saturday OF is back.

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In this episode, Jan Fran and Antoinette look at the role the media played in One Nation’s South Australian election surge and ask how should the media report on Hanson moving forward? 

Plus: the Aussie news site pumping out hundreds of timely and factual news stories with zero journalists - just one software engineer and a whole lot of theft (and A.I). 

Then, how much sway did Rupert Murdoch have over Donald Trump’s attack on Iran? We unpack how Murdoch’s ideology trickles down to his reporters.

Also, ABC staff walk off the job for the first time in 20 years. What’s behind the strike—and what on earth is the “Lattouf clause”?

READ Alex Fein's article 'Polarisation is a myth'

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In this particularly personal episode of Only Fran, Jan Fran reflects on what it's been like as a Lebanese-Australian watching Israel's invasion of Lebanon this week.

She talks about her state of mind, shares some things you probably didn't know about Lebanon and examines the response from Australia’s government, who are not only failing to condemn Israel's invasion, but gaslighting Muslims who booed Anthony Albanese and Tony Burke at a Sydney mosque.

Note: Although the poem is often mistakingly attributed to Maya Angelou, it was actually written by Rita Wehbe.

Producer: Antoinette Lattouf

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In this episode Jan Fran and Antoinette examine the devastating attacks on Lebanon and the Lebanese population - and why local media coverage has been strangely quiet.

We dive into Louis Theroux’s Netflix exploration of the internet’s most toxic - and successful - “manosphere” influencers: what landed, and what was missing.

We also tackle the rumour mill around wanted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu (including the six-finger theory).

And a rare moment of praise for the Australian Communications and Media Authority after its long-overdue move against shock jock Kyle Sandilands.

Follow Lebanese-British journalist Hala Jaber’s substack.

Follow American photojournalist Courtney Bonneau living in south Lebanon on instagram.

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If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this new Saturday break out series, Only Fran, Jan Fran picks an issue of the week that is living rent free in her head. Right now, it's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke's decision to grant asylum to some members of the Iranian women's soccer team, while passing legislation that prevents people from conflict and crisis-affected countries from visiting Australia.

So ... while Burke is patting himself on the back for doing a thing, Labor’s moving legislation that prevents the thing he’s patting himself on the back for doing …from happening.

Producer: Antoinette Lattouf

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If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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In this episode, Jan Fran and Antoinette ask whether the TV panel discussion show has run its course. They unpack ABC’s National Forum - a discussion that felt like host David Speers was walking on eggshells - with topics and trauma that may be too complex for the format to handle. 

Also this week: the escalating standoff between the government and Pornhub over age-verification laws, and why we’re already seeing the slippery slope that comes with the Queensland Government banning the slogans “globalise the intifada” and “from the river to the sea.”

Plus what is QuitGPT and what does it have to do with weapons and Jan finds herself befuddled by Tucker Carlson’s podcast ads. 

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If you want to see our mugs as we yap you can watch the episode in full here.

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Jan and Antoinette watch Israel’s ambassador address the National Press Club and assess how hard the journalists in the room worked to push back against the blatant hasbara. 

Plus: What is the Atlas Network and what does it have to do with climate mis and disinformation in Australia? A Senate report helps us answer that question. 

And applause for the writer's festival that stood its ground under pressure to disinvite a Palestinian author. 

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It’s been one month since Queensland passed unprecedented hate speech laws which banned the phrases ‘from the river to the sea’ and ‘globalise the intifada’. 

Jan Fran takes a look at what these laws are really about, why artists are getting phone calls from cops and what the wider ramifications are. Hint: they’re not good. 

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Thanks to @jaidanielpyne for composing the music for our podcast.

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This week, federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor unveiled an immigration policy built on “values” and, well… values according to who?

Jan Fran sat through the whole speech so you don’t have to, and let’s just say the logic didn’t quite make it through customs. So what’s it actually about?

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In this bonus episode, Antoinette shares the findings of an exclusive investigation into the Murdoch media’s sustained smear campaign against Dr Abdel-Fattah.

The data, gathered in partnership with analyst and mathematician Dr Richard Bean, points to relentless coverage, loaded language, and front-page attacks targeting the Palestinian-Egyptian academic.

We break down the figures, the headlines, and reveal the one newspaper that has published HUNDREDS of articles about Dr Abdel-Fattah in two and a half years, four times the amount of some of its competitors.

Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah’s new book Discipline. 

Write a letter to The Australian newspaper letters@theaustralian.com.au 

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