Media

10 March 2023

When The New York Times allows its star columnist to write an oped revealing that mask mandates did nothing to stop the spread, it’s obvious something is changing the narrative about the pandemic. The truth, as the saying goes, is a time-release pill. Three years on from the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we’re getting closer to identifying the origin

11 August 2022

The University of Delaware has conducted an investigation into Danielle Dixson, who worked on the effect of carbon dioxide on reef fish while at James Cook University. It found she was guilty of “research misconduct” on fish behaviour and coral reefs. The investigation appears to have only focused on Dixson’s work after she left JCU. However, whistleblower Tim Clark and

18 March 2022

The media is reporting that there is bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. Bushfires, cyclones, floods, droughts, heatwaves, bleaching, locust plagues, starfish plagues – this is Australia. It has always happened. The good news is that GBRMPA have refrained from sensationalism and should be congratulated for that. In their media comment, they point out that bleached coral is not dead

22 January 2021

The out-going Trump administration finally woke up to a nasty little rort that the Australian government was planning on running against United States tech giants operating in Australia. On Monday, The Australian reported that US trade officials had written to the Senate and ‘respectfully requested’ that Australia abandon plans to introduce a de facto (albeit unconstitutional) tax on Facebook and Google. This

9 March 2020

Click here to download the report. Notions such as the ‘death of journalism’, the proliferation of ‘fake news’ and the nefarious influence of ‘powerful voices in the media’ have been prominent in the public debate – both in Australia and internationally – for many years. However, such concerns are at best exaggerated and at worst simply wrong. Arguably, fake news

21 September 2017

The government’s market liberalisation win on media reform should not be underestimated. Despite the $60 million of taxpayer funds doled out to private media organisations, this is a step in the right direction. Nevertheless, much more reform is needed to open up Australia’s media landscape. Last week the government abolished the antiquated 75 per cent reach rule, which limits the

21 August 2017

It is widely agreed that a free and independent press is an essential part of a democratic order. This submission addresses itself to the implications of the words free and independent. Government Intervention in the market for journalism risks undermining the reason we value publicly interested journalism in the first place – its role in providing a check on government

26 May 2017

Two great and venerable Australian institutions are facing profound challenges. Each is suffering from a combination of circumstances beyond their control as well as from their own mistakes. Each is confronted by a range of competitors eager to erode their once-assured market dominance. Each has a long and proud history embellished with significant achievement. Yet each has lived for too

7 April 2017

The Australia Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) should be abolished. 1. The ACMA is a threat to free speech. 2. The ACMA’s functions are redundant. 3. The ACMA imposes costs on the Australian economy. The IPA recommended abolishing the ACMA in Be like Gough: 75 radical ideas to transform Australia.   Download the full report here

13 January 2017

Last month in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as US president, Julia Baird the host of ABC TV’s The Drum wrote a revealing article in The Sydney Morning Herald. She blamed the election result on things such as the public no longer believing in facts, a lack of trust in the media and “experts” being ignored. Baird despaired of