Compiled by Tess Connery
Behind the Statistics: The Briefing’s investigation into domestic violence
Usually home of daily news, this year LISTNR’s The Briefing undertook a four-part investigative series into domestic violence in Australia.
Covering topics from porn and choking, what happens when police become perpetrators, and whether our support services actually work, the series is helmed by The Briefing’s journalists.
Podcast Week’s Tess Connery spoke with co-host Antoinette Lattouf about the series, and what she hopes people learn from the deep-dive.
Antoinette Lattouf
When asked what the reason was for taking on such a massive project, Lattouf says that the series “really came off the back end of some fatigue and frustration based on how much we have to cover the latest murder of Australian women.”
“We’re in the business of unpacking daily news, and unfortunately, covering the latest death by domestic violence – usually a woman at the hands of a current or former partner – it just felt like every other day were reporting that. The statistics reflect that, and we thought that because of the curiosity of our audience, and because they are largely females, we wanted to unpack a bit more and delve deeper.
“We wanted to try and find a different way to tell these stories, because unfortunately, sometimes when you just hear ‘a woman in insert suburb here, insert age here’, it becomes so familiar, that I feel that audiences are a bit desensitised. We were tasked with the challenge of how to delve into this, and tell this story in a way that takes our listeners on a different journey and gets them invested in the issue in a different way.”
The Breifing’s regular format is daily news, so undertaking a major investigation like this has been a departure from the usual schedule for the whole team. For Lattouf, the change saw her “spending a lot of time making connections with various DV frontline workers and organisations working with our LiSTNR investigations editor.”
“It absolutely took a much more investigative path, in which I pulled back off the daily news and dug deep into finding women who had never shared their stories before.
“We were crunching a whole bunch of complex data that we usually don’t have the time to look through to try and find different patterns or different ways to tell the story. It was a it was a lot of time, it was a lot of data crunching, and it was a lot of forging relationships with women to make them comfortable telling their stories for the first time.”
In a series full of confronting stories, Lattouf says that there was one interview that particularly stuck with her.
“We know that the underreporting of domestic violence is such a big issue, and I think it’s such an important message to get out there. For me, what made me think twice was knowing that yes, we need to encourage people to report it, but then hearing from a woman whose perpetrator was a police officer. The institutional issues, the discrimination, and problems she faced in that power structure made me go wow, this is so complex.
“Yes, people need to report it, but it’s often not that simple – some evidence suggests that police officers are more likely to be perpetrators than regular people with other jobs. So that’s something that really stayed with me, when the solution is also part of the problem. It really broke my heart, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that particular woman’s ordeal.”
The Briefing team – Antoinette Lattouf, Katrina Blowers, Jan Fran, Tom Tilley
Ultimately, Lattouf and the team hope that the series shines a new light on domestic violence in Australia, and what exactly it looks like.
“We spoke about pornography’s role in domestic violence, and perpetrators being as young as 14 Often we think about domestic violence as something that a middle-aged man does after a few drinks, and yes, there are plenty of those – but it’s so much more complex. It cuts right across the generations and there are different drivers or different influences for younger people.
“What we really wanted to do was to challenge people’s perceptions of who the likely victim is and who the likely perpetrator is.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing violence or abuse, you can contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, or Lifeline on 13 11 14
Josh Addo-Carr and Josh Mansour join forces on Let’s Trot Show
Canterbury Bulldogs and NSW Blues superstar, Josh Addo-Carr, former Penrith Panthers and South Sydney Rabbitohs winger, Josh Mansour, and their friends have launched their new show exploring trending sports news, high-performance lifestyles, and the cultural facets that shape their attitudes and mindsets.
Let’s Trot Show takes its name from the clothing brand, Let’s Trot Apparel which was conceived by Josh Addo-Carr and brought to life by Australian sneaker company ShoeGrab and its creative team. Let’s Trot Apparel has evolved from a startup into a million-dollar brand in less than two years.
“This isn’t just another footy show; it’s a platform where my friends, athletes, influencers, and leaders from all walks of life can gather to share their life journey, untold stories, and open a window into the minds of some remarkable individuals. Let’s have fun with it. Let’s Trot!”, said Josh Addo-Carr.
Produced by the agency, I Want It Yesterday, Let’s Trot Show is recorded in Sydney and available in a range of formats, including as an audio podcast and a visual show on YouTube.
Kat Haddad, co-producer on the show alongside Josh Mansour, commented, “Fans are longing for a deeper connection with their favourite role models. They want the access, to be entertained and informed. And they want to feel like they are part of the conversation. We’ll give them that unique access”.
[Listen to Let’s Trot Show here]
Wil Anderson celebrates 300 episodes of his LiSTNR podcast, Wilosophy
Wil Anderson is celebrating as he clocks up the 300th episode of his interview-based podcast, Wilosophy, with all episodes available on LiSTNR.
Wilosophy, which began in 2014, features the Australian comedian asking smart people not so smart questions, all in the hopes of finding the meaning of life. The outcome is conversations that delve deep, resulting in what many guests describe as a bucket list experience.
For the 300th episode, Anderson sat down with American comedian, actor and host of the Never Not Funny podcast, Jimmy Pardo. Reflecting on his experience, Pardo said: “Wil is a genius. He’s one of the funniest guys in the world. This is a very raw Jimmy Pardo. I’m very open and honest on that episode and it was a lot of fun to do.”
As the podcast moves beyond its 300th episode milestone, upcoming Wilosophy conversations will continue to feature popular Australian comics and international acts. Guests include Australian comedians Adam Hills, Mel Buttle, Dave Thornton, Anne Edmonds, The Chaser’s Andrew Hanson, 2Day FM’s Ed Kavalee and Tripod’s Scott Edgar. Also joining Anderson in future episodes is American writer Josh Gondelman, UK comedian Phil Wang and American stand-up, Jackie Kashian.
Alexis Fernandez and LiSTNR join forces to ask: Do you f*cking mind?
Do You F*cking Mind? has joined LiSTNR. Hosted by Alexis Fernandez, the podcast is a mixture of neuroscience, psychology, and doesn’t hold back when making mental health information accessible.
Author of Be Bold and The Neuroscience of Self-Love, Fernandez launched the podcast whilst completing her Masters degree in neuroscience, focused on helping listeners improve their relationships with themselves, or as Fernandez explains it “delivering mindset hacks for a badass life.”
Episodes are released twice weekly, on Mondays and Fridays, and are a fusion of science, social psychology, listener questions and guest interviews.
Fernandez said: “I started this podcast in my Sydney bedroom three years ago and am so excited to be levelling up with LiSTNR. When the podcast began, I was halfway through my Masters degree in neuroscience, and so I was keen to share what I was learning and to connect with people that wanted to work on themselves. No matter what episode you listen to, each one aligns with my ‘why’ for podcasting – to help people improve their relationship with themselves.
“There’s a lot of health and wellness podcasts that profile people but leave you feeling dog sh*t and helpless afterwards. We’re the opposite of that. In every episode I share actionable tools that anyone can put into practice to change their f*cking life!”
[Listen to Do You F*cking Mind? here]
Mamamia launches podcast to give you the life lessons you didn’t learn in school
Hosted by Mamamia creator Emily Vernem and comedian Bec Melrose, Things You Didn’t Learn In School is the new Mamamia podcast that guides you through the real life stuff that wasn’t covered in the classroom.
Topic include negotiating a rent spike, or freezing your eggs, and everything in between.
This first season, made in partnership with The University of South Australia, runs for 12 episodes with the first out now. Each episode will feature personal experiences, expert advice, and practical takeaways to help listeners feel seen, heard, and prepared.
Holly Wainwright, Executive Editor at Mamamia said “We all know that despite being an adult you feel very un-adult-like when confronted with an unknown issue and feeling out of your depth. This podcast is the antidote to those moments, providing both useful advice and a big laugh at how universally unprepared we all are as adults. Adding comedy was a necessity to be both easy to comprehend and memorable for audiences.”
[Listen to Things You Didn’t Learn In School here]
Cathrine Mahoney returns to Nine, with a podcast
Former Nine publicity executive Cathrine Mahoney has returned to the Nine Entertainment group of companies. However, this time she is part of the talent stable.
Season five of Mahoney’s hit podcast So, I Quit My Day Job is now part of the Nine Entertainment podcast platform.
When we wrote about Season 1 of the podcast back in 2020, we said:
After arriving in Australia in 2000, career publicist Cathrine Mahoney worked for Sony Music and then Nine before landing a great job working on Nova’s Fitzy & Wippa breakfast show.
Want to find out what happened next? Then download her new podcast So, I Quit My Day Job.
Mahoney started podcasting as part of the News Corp Australia podcast stable. In between her first season and the fifth she found time to write the bestseller Currently Between Husbands. It’s a must read, but to get the full Mahoney experience opt for the audio book which she reads.
About the new podcast and her return to Nine. Mahoney told Mediaweek: “It’s great being back inside familiar territory. It’s full circle for me recording in at 2GB where I used to take Sony Music talent and as a former Nine publicist it’s great to be back in the ‘fold’. And having worked with the great Peter ‘Sterlo’ Sterling when I was the Footy Show publicist 17 years ago to now have Hannah his daughter as my EP is brilliant. She is seriously one in a million. Might even get me Sterlo on the show… The first ep goes live this Thursday with Shelly Bennett who was a graphic designer and is now a wedding celebrant and funeral director.”
[Listen to So, I Quit Mat Day Job here]
Marc Fennell takes a trip to the House of Skulls
Australian Walkley-winning journalist and documentary maker, Marc Fennell has released his third Audible Original podcast titled House of Skulls.
House of Skulls dives into the history of the mysterious Morton Cranial Collection housed in the basement of the University of Pennsylvania Museum. It was in the basement of one of the world’s most prestigious universities, where a classroom was lined with a collection of human skulls from around the globe.
While diving into the stories of these skulls, Marc explores a story of racism in America and the world in this series, which includes an Australian cannibal, the depths of ancient Egyptian looted tombs, and a story behind one of America’s most tragic acts of police violence.
[Listen to House of Skulls here]
Merrick Watts returns with season two of Picture Discuss
Picture Discuss, the short-form podcast hosted by Merrick Watts, returns to iHeartPodcasts for season two, with a roll call of some of the funniest people in Australia to confer over one picture with zero context.
Season two of Picture Discuss features Justin Hamilton, Michael Hing, Nikki Britton, Concetta Caristo, Laura Hughes, Tom Walker, Lucinda Price (Froomes), Ben Kochan, Alex Lee, Christie Whelan Browne, Alexei Toliopoulos, Lewis Hobb, Will Gibb, Chris Ryan, Luke Heggie, Cameron James, Tom Cashman and Becky Lucas discussing their backstory theories and flexing their improv skills on everything from a shirtless nan, leashed lizard and pelican wrestling.
Merrick Watts said: “Recording these episodes of Picture Discuss has been so much fun! Our guests for season two are seriously some of the funniest people I have spent time with and I reckon the pictures we have unearthed this season are even more brilliant. The audience response to the podcast has been so lovely and it’s great to know the idea I had to create something hilarious and accessible to give people a quick and easy laugh each week is resonating”.
[Listen to Picture Discuss here]
Ivan Aristeguieta takes on the English language in new SBS podcast
Bad English is a new SBS Audio podcast discussing the lows and rock bottoms of learning the most widely studied language and one of the most difficult for language learners.
Venezuelan-born comedian Ivan Aristeguieta is the host of the new seven-episode, sitting down with a line-up of guests to commiserate over one of life’s hardest lessons – English – as well as look deeper into the laws of language with the help of English teacher and expert Ai-Lin Bhugan.
Criminal lawyer and 2017 NSW Australian of the Year, Deng Adut talks about learning English watching The Wiggles with his nephew and bringing a dictionary to his job at a petrol station; refugee and chef Niro Vithyasekar picked up English in an immigration detention centre after arriving by boat, and stand-up comedian He Huang talks about going viral for her stand-up routine audition on Australia’s Got Talent using her experiences as an international student.
Guided by the philosophy that there is no such thing as ‘proper’ English, Aristeguieta says English is only partially teachable and the rest you must learn through practice.
New podcast explores New Zealand’s Civic Creche case
RNZ presents Conviction, a new podcast about the Civic Creche case and the people at the centre of it, a story that has cast ripples across Aotearoa’s legal landscape for three decades.
The story begins in 1990s Christchurch when a four-year-old boy, a student at a council-owned creche, makes the comment “I don’t like Peter’s black penis”.
This comment would propel 30-year-old childcare worker Peter Ellis into a nightmare which saw him spend seven years in prison for crimes he says he did not commit.
Yet the children and families who accused Ellis are adamant he committed the crimes and that the results of his actions will be with them forever.
In this 12-part series hosted by Alexander Behse and Ali Jones, listeners will hear a comprehensive look back over the case, and some stories never told before, including interviews with Ellis’ siblings and parole officer.
Executive producer and co-host Behse says his motivation in making the podcast was to understand the pain everyone went through. “Nobody won in this story. All I can see are people becoming hurt and damaged – on all sides.”
The first three episodes of Conviction will be released on Friday 29 September.
Podshape launches podcast series with MasterChef winner Brent Draper and wife Shon
Podshape burst into life in March 2020 when launched by former Nova Entertainment executive Jay Walkerden and his wife Katie Mattin. Both are former employees of Nova Entertainment. Walkerden was running the Nova Brisbane station and was the network’s head of podcasting. Mattin was on-air at the station.
“What a brilliant time to be starting a podcast business,” Walkerden remembered this week talking to Mediaweek. “It was actually a good time because audience numbers were going through the roof for podcasts.”
The audio company has just announced its latest title, Behind the Drapes, featuring MasterChef winner Brent Draper and his wife Shonleigh.
Recalling his first release, Walkerden said: “The first podcast we made had a whopping 23 downloads in the first week. Three years later Podshape has done just under 23m downloads.”
