We Used to be Journos

In this episode we eat cake and celebrate our first birthday! That’s right Ette Media turns one and to mark the occasion Jan and Antoinette do a  Rose-Thorn-Bud analysis of the past year - what’s been good, what’s been bad, what’s showing promise. 

Plus, a 45-year-old Australian man has been charged with murdering 17-year-old Thai teenager and stuffing her body in a suitcase. We take a look at the woeful Australian media coverage of that heinous crime.  

Also, Iran’s football team get peppered with political questions by reporters at the FIFA World Cup...

This week one of Australia’s highest paid media personalities parted ways with the Nine Network where he’s worked for the last 21 years.  He is now officially independent… or free as he puts it. But free to do what? 

In this episode, Jan Fran explores Karl’s transformation into a right wing culture warrior and why she reckons his quest for “free speech” is a load of bollocks. 

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

In this episode Jan and Antoinette look at the way both Donald Trump and Pauline Hanson used Keir Starmer’s resignation to further their own anti-immigrant, anti-climate change agenda and how the media helped out. 

Plus, Gina Rinehart’s ‘Bush Summit’ speech gets the coverage she asked for but not the coverage it deserved. 

And we unpack the decision by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency - APHRA - to adopt the IHRA definition of anti semitism. We look at how this might quash criticism of Israel, why medical practitioners are ropable and why the media has...

Far-right leader Pauline “there are no good Muslims” Hanson walked into the  National Press Club this week with her middle finger firmly up to the journalists in the room. It stayed up for the duration of her 90 minute address. 

And while some reporters tried to hold her to account, most gave her free reign to espouse a disjointed, frenetic, racist agenda that in Jan Fran’s view will only lead to a darker more insular Australia. 

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

In this episode, Antoinette fact-checks two feel-good narratives that emerged after the Socceroos’ World Cup win over Türkiye -  including claims about Australia’s youngest-ever World Cup goalscorer. Yes we know she’s a killjoy...but also right.  

Plus, Jan brings some inconvenient reminders to help unpack Anthony Albanese’s response to the latest US-Iran ceasefire deal. 

Also: the push to overhaul the Australian Press Council aka Australia’s media watchdog. Hint: it’s a toothless tiger and may or may not be running cover for the Murdoch press.  And an introspective chat about online hate - are...

This week Jan looks at the mammoth trilateral security pact known as AUKUS and asks how much are those submarines costing us again? Be warned, there’s not a clear answer to that question because even those in charge don't really know. 

Let’s just say hundreds of billions of dollars for deliverables that just keep changing??  

That’s a lot of tax payer dollars at stake - not to mention the billions of dollars we’ve already thrown away on quite literally nothing. You’d think that would incense the media as much as other...

In his first interview since his trial ended, pianist Jayson Gillham sits down with Antoinette Lattouf to talk through his 15-day Federal Court trial against the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Jayson believes the MSO canceled his performance after he dedicated a piece of music to Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza.

He talks about why he fought back so hard, the cost of standing his ground and what this high-stakes battle taught him about the state of our arts and media landscape.

Plus, there's a little surprise if you make it to the very...

In this episode, Jan and Antoinette react to news that Charlie Pickering's swipe at Grace Tame didn’t breach ABC’s code of conduct, which leaves them very confused about who gets to have opinions at the national broadcaster and who doesn’t. 

Plus, they take stock of the weekend articles that compared Pauline Hanson to various important historical figures and they dissect an A.I-related quandary involving two academics and the Sydney Morning Herald.  

Jan gives a shout out to the former MAGA influencer blowing the whistle on MAGA’s media manipulation, while Antoinette praises fel...

In this special episode of Only Fran Jan chats to author Sarah Wilson about the rising sense of dis-ease she has about the world. With so much upheaval and uncertainty - how is one to navigate a world that feels like it's, well, collapsing?

In this conversion they talk about collapse - what it means, how Sarah came to the idea, the difficulty of accepting some hard truths about the world, that things will get worse before they get better, and ultimately what a new world can look like and what is needed to get there. 

Should we be worried about Pauline Hanson’s latest poll surge? The Etterati asked, so we separate genuine trends from poll hysteria.

We also unpack the shocking moment a radio boss groped his employee on stage at Australia’s biggest audio awards night - we saw it happen!

Plus, a 25-year-old woman moved to Australia, started a new job, and weeks later she was dead. Her family is demanding answers, protests have been held, and questions have been raised in Kenya's parliament — so why has Australian media not covered it?

And fi...

This week the Teals were chatting about forming a new political party designed - in part - to counter the rise of Pauline Hanson and the far right.

This got Jan Fran wondering about the other colour-specific party that’s supposed to be doing that: the Greens. 

As she watches the rise of the far right with abject terror Jan wonders why the Australian Greens haven't quite made the same inroads as their UK counterparts and what it might take for them to do so.

SUPPORT ETTE MEDIA: and subscribe.

In this episode, Jan and Antoinette explore why flotilla activists trying to break Israel’s illegal blockade are finally getting media attention, and look at how one interview took a very bizarre turn. 

We explain why the largest mining company in the world is suing the small independent outfit Michael West Media and why you’ve probably not seen much about it.

Plus we give you an inside look at the Sydney Writers Festival and examine the latest Murdoch media purchase by the apparently “good” Murdoch brother, James.

Antoinette gives her yes to a premium...

This week One Nation’s Pauline Hanson released a policy that will see more gas industry’s money flow to the public purse. It sounded… legit. And that’s got Jan Fran worried.

SUPPORT ETTE MEDIA by becoming a subscriber here.

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

Novara Media's Ash Sarkar knows a thing or two about starting (and growing!) an independent media company.

In this special episode, the British journalist and author sits down with Antoinette Lattouf for a conversation about independent media, political journalism and the danger of "audience capture".

They unpack the rise of indie media in the UK, failures of the BBC, “objectivity” in journalism, and whether mainstream media can still hold power to account.

Plus: Ash’s defamation win and the pressures facing independent outlets in the age of AI.

Subscribe to Ette M...

In this episode Jan and Antoinette respond directly to feedback from the Etterati.

We answer questions about the language used to describe certain “regimes,” balance in journalism, why we talk about Gaza and whether we laugh too much about dark subject matters. Plus: what happens when journalists we’ve scrutinised reach out directly? 

As a media platform built on critiquing journalism and power, we ask how should we handle criticism of our own work?

This is a candid conversation about accountability, truth and what drives us to do the work we do.

This week, Jan Fran examines the Albanese government’s attempt to sell its federal budget like a brand campaign — inviting influencers to pitch for access to the budget lock-up alongside journalists. It’s also an exploration of the line between “newsfluencers” and journalists, and what that means for political media in Australia.

Become a subscriber of Ette Media.

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

In this special episode of We Used To Be Journos, Antoinette unpacks her new book Women Who Win through the lens of media literacy, power and representation.

Yes, they get into Antoinette’s own headline-making battle — but this episode goes far beyond one story. Drawing on interviews with 30 women, alongside the stories of trailblazing Australian women no longer with us, the conversation explores how women in public life are framed by the media during their fights, their failures, and even their victories.

From media smears to myth-making, this is a conversation about power, narrative control, and...

Tucker Carlson has apologised for the role he played in helping bring Donald Trump to power. In this episode of Only Fran, Jan explain why she's have always been suss on him and remains so… even after this apology and maybe even more so now because of it. 

Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.

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

In this episode, Jan and Antoinette discuss the lead up to the White House correspondents’ dinner and the hundreds of US journalists who protested his presence there …albeit in a very polite way. 

They also note living in Trump’s post-truth world as conspiracies abound about the shooting incident that took place that evening. 

Plus, we’ve noted four incidents of Aboriginal women and girls dying in prisons or being assaulted by cops in W.A, all in the last five weeks, not that you’d hear about it much in the east coast press. 

Plus the...

In this episode, Jan Fran unpacks a Nine newspapers article headlined “Authorities suspect Gaza war drove Bondi shooter to terror,” interrogating the framing, editorial choices and implications of an investigation built largely on insinuation rather than evidence. She examines how the piece invites readers to draw conclusions about those who care about human rights in Gaza with extremism - and what that kind of speculative framing means for public discourse in Australia after the Bondi attack.

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

Jan Fran and Antoinette unpack claims Iran is winning the propaganda war - thanks to AI Lego and diss tracks going viral.

Meanwhile Jan goes to war with the phrase “breaks silence” (Ben Roberts-Smith edition) and the clickbait line that refuses to die.

Plus, a takedown of Seven News’ renewable energy “exposé” - and the fossil fuel interests it skips over.

Also, a shout out to some pitch-perfect satire of government statements that say everything and nothing, and a former BBC journo spelling out why normal journalism falls apart when covering Trump.

Women...

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?

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.

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

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. 

Wri...

In this episode Jan and Antoinette unpack why the US political and media establishment is losing its mind over left-wing streamer Hasan Piker and what this case tells us about the shifting tides of power in America.

Plus, we look at Anthony Albanese’s borderline offensive answer to a journalist's question about Lebanese-Australians; imprisoned whistleblower David McBride’s missing media moment and the headline journey of a story on Israeli settlers that got wilder each time it was republished.   

We also shout out the Saturday Paper’s for its coverage of the NT’s climate calamity th...

In this episode of Only Fran, Fran takes a look at Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong's response to the Lebanon massacre - or "humanitarian crisis" as she puts it.

Jan examines Wongs now familiar rhetoric, the media's apathy towards the slaughtered Lebanese civilians and whether our Australia's leaders will ever be anything other than "deeply concerned".

You can read Michael West Media's investigation into government grants to F35 suppliers here.

Support Ette Media by becoming a subscriber here.

If you want to see our mugs as we yap...

Jan Fran and Antoinette expose the false narrative that the multicultural Sydney suburb of Lakemba is a hotbed of systemic NDIS fraud. We trace where this racist narrative kicked off, which media outlets fueled it and how the main figure is off by approximately 8000%. 

Also, why free-to-air TV networks and certain newspapers are not happy with Albanese's gambling ad reforms.

And Jan and Antoinette agree that Donald Trump’s latest social post is extremely unhinged but disagree on how the media should cover it. 

Plus: Jay Rosen's Trump reporting toolkit that coul...

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. 

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...

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. 

SUPPORT ETTE MEDIA by becoming a subscriber here.

WATCH US ON YOUTUBE in full here.

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.

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

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...

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.

...

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.

...

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: Antoin...

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 QuitG...

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

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast...

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...

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 Ep...

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...

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...

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 fina...