Last week Australians woke up to a bizarre state of affairs - Facebook without any news. On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Shirley Leitch and Paul Pickering from ANU Australian Studies Institute join Mark Kenny to discuss the stoush between Facebook and the Australian Government.

What does Facebook’s decision to restrict the ability of its users to post and read news in Australia mean for ordinary people and their participation in public debate? Is this a case of Australians being stuck in the middle of a stoush between media giants? And what is the end game for Facebook and the government? Joining Professor Mark Kenny to discuss these issues on this episode of Democracy Sausage are Emeritus Professor Shirley Leitch and Professor Paul Pickering from ANU Australian Studies Institute. 

Shirley Leitch is Emeritus Professor and a Professorial Fellow at The Australian National University (ANU) Australian Studies Institute. She was formerly Pro Vice-Chancellor of Education & Global Education at ANU, and Dean at the ANU College of Business and Economics.

Paul Pickering is a Professor and Director of ANU Australian Studies Institute.

Mark Kenny is a Professor at ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

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