Spin Cycle

Jess and Rachel are joined by Ben Smee, Guardian Australia reporter, delving into the new series Broken Trust. The two-year investigation looks into the handling of domestic violence cases in Queensland, and the alleged failures of the police force and courts.

They also talk updates on Victorian politics, in particular, Jess Wilson’s supposed care for housing affordability.

If this episode has raised any concerns for you, or someone you know, you can seek help via the below numbers:

Lifeline - 131 114

National Domestic Violence and Family Counselling service - 1800 737 732

Jess and Charlie are going all in on American reporter, Olivia Nuzzi this week, in light of the media coverage of her new book, American Canto. They also discuss the lowering of the minimum age of criminal responsibility, and Sky News’ failings on TikTok.

Charlie, Rachel and special guest host Esther Linder discuss the news of the week, from the Victorian government’s punitive youth crime plans to the announcement that young Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg is running for office…. despite having never held down a job. They are then joined by award-winning journalist and RMIT professor Alexandra Wake to discuss the resignation of two senior BBC figures over allegations of biased coverage, and what it means for public broadcasters and public confidence in public broadcasters more broadly.

Jess, Charlie and Rachel are joined by reporter, photographer, videographer and podcaster Preeshita Shah, who has just graduated from Melbourne Uni’s Centre for Advancing Journalism. Shah, who plans on becoming a war correspondent, shares the lessons she learnt from Chris Hedges during his recent visit, and reflects on the ways in which she and her Gen Z peers approach questions of “impartiality” and values. The team also takes some joy in the coverage of New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, over whom the mainstream media have lost their damn minds.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Chris Hedges joins Jess, Charlie and Rachel to discuss Israel’s occupation of Gaza and his cancelled address, 'The Betrayal of Palestinian Journalists.' Chris speaks about his seven years of reporting from the Middle East – much of it in Gaza – including being on the receiving end of Israeli firepower. Jess and Charlie also discuss Sussan Ley’s embarrassing attack on Anthony Albanese’s Joy Division t-shirt, and the politics of punk.

Canadian-Egyptian journalist and novelist Omar El Akkad, discusses his new book One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, which critiques what it means to live in the West, during a time of devastating world events occurring across the world. A journalist for ten years, Omar has reported on various pivotal political movements and events, and describes how this shaped his response to the crisis in Palestine. Omar delves into the 'moral fracture' of Western culture, and how this will influence the generations to come.

Jess, Charlie and Rachel invite freelance journalist and author of Slick, Royce Kurmelovs, to share some insights following the government’s announcement of its lacklustre 2035 emissions reduction target (or should we say range). The trio also discuss the moment the new Sky After Dark show, Freya Fires up, self-combusted after allowing UK Islamophobe for hire, Ryan Willams, to rant live to air while wearing bacon rashers on his shirt.

Rachel, Jess and Charlie have another Radiothon special, this time joined by friend of the show Natalie Feliks, as they discuss the importance of community radio and independent media. Natalie shares her thoughts on the ongoing attacks on the trans community following the shooting of American right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk, as well as her love for RRR, while the team try not to lose their collective minds over the accelerating rise of fascism in the US.

Poet and co-editor of Overland Evelyn Araluen joins Jess, Charlie and Rachel to discuss the sudden closure of Meanjin, after Melbourne University Publishing decided that the 85 year old literary journal was no longer financially viable. They discuss the lack of communication over the closure, whether removing the archives paywall will lead to AI scraping of decades of Australian literary culture, and whether literary work should be expected to produce profit in the first place.

Jess, Charlie and Rachel are joined by ABC reporter Nabil Al-Nashar followed by anti-fascist researcher Andy Fleming — aka Slack Bastard — to discuss the “March for Australia” rallies that took place in cities across Australia. Nabil shares his experience covering the rallies as a person of colour, including racist feedback on his social media, while Andy offers some perspective on the role the mainstream media has played in platforming the far-right. The team also discuss the abrupt closure of Meanjin, Labor’s attacks on FOIs, and the rejection of war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation appeal.