Business of Media
‘RACIST OR JUST STUPID’: The debate around the Voice in 5 misleading headlines
“The media has revealed its shortcomings, and that the media is not a place for complexity; truth is too much to be left to television,” Stan Grant told his former employer the ABC last week, reports Crikey’s Charlie Lewis.
See Also: The Hallway shares “Galahs” film to spark better Voice referendum conversations
Reflecting on the media’s attempts to wrestle with the concept of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the past year, he concluded: “I don’t think we can squeeze in the fragility of 200 years of this history into a newspaper headline, or television news grab, or a radio interview, or a debate.”
Here’s a few examples he may have been thinking of.
Contract talks break down between Hollywood actors, studios
Negotiations between Hollywood studios and the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union were suspended on Wednesday as the two sides clashed over streaming revenue, the use of artificial intelligence and other issues at the core of a three-month work stoppage, reports Reuters’ Lisa Richwine.
The breakdown in talks interrupted attempts to end labor tensions that have put most U.S.-based film and television production on hold, cost the California economy billions and left thousands of crew members without work.
Walkley Awards 2023: nominees
Nominees have been announced in the 2023 Walkley Awards for Journalism, reports TV Tonight.
ABC, SBS, Nine, Seven, 10, NITV and FOX Docos / Binge are all contenders including for ABC News, 7:30, Four Corners, Dateline, 60 Minutes, The Australian Wars, Spotlight, Seven News and The Project.
Shona Martyn, CEO of the Walkley Foundation, said: “The importance of strong and incisive journalism is magnified right now as we watch war and atrocities explode internationally, wait with anxiety about a summer of potential natural disasters sparked by Climate Change and face a significant referendum this weekend about the Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.”
News Brands
ABC Middle East correspondent Tom Joyner labels stories about babies being beheaded in Israel ‘bullshit’
The ABC’s Middle Eastern correspondent Tom Joyner has labelled reports about babies being beheaded by Hamas terrorists in Israel as “bullshit” during a fiery exchange in a WhatsApp group with hundreds of international journalists and broadcasters, reports The Australian’s Sophie Elsworth.
Joyner, who is reporting on the conflict between Israel and Palestine, told a WhatsApp chat group on Tuesday – in now-deleted comments – he did not believe stories being reported around the world about babies being beheaded were true.
“This story about the babies is bullshit,” he posted to the large group of media representatives sharing information about the attacks in Israel by Hamas terrorists.
Prince Harry claims against The Sun won’t be heard until 2025
Prince Harry’s legal claim against The Sun’s publisher over allegations of unlawful information gathering is set to go to trial in January 2025, the High Court has been told, reports PA Media for The Press Gazette.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, alleges he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for News Group Newspapers (NGN), publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News Of The World.
Sports
Disney agonized about sports betting. Now it’s going all in.
In early 2019, an analyst asked Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger if sports betting could coexist with the House of Mouse’s brand. He said he didn’t see the company facilitating gambling in any way, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Robbie Whelan, Katherine Sayre and Jessica Toonkel.
Just four years later, the world’s most beloved name in family entertainment is going all-in on sports betting.
Television
Opinion: This may be Australia’s best TV drama in years
I’ve been thinking a lot about wigs lately. Not just any old wigs, wigs from the 1980s, or rather, wigs that mimic the coiffed, enormous hair of the 1980s. I’ve finally gotten stuck into the Cold War spy drama The Americans (Disney+) which is long overdue, but in my defence there can be a comfort in starting a show knowing exactly how many seasons you’ve got waiting for you, reports The Sydney Morning Herald’s Sinead Stubbins.
I’ve also been obsessed with The Newsreader (ABC), the slick, addictive and excellent local drama that might be the best show Australia has produced in years.