Media Watch

Season 2025

Media Watch is Australia's leading forum for media analysis and comment, screening on ABC TV.

Where to Watch Media Watch • Season 2025

42 Episodes

  • Episode 1
    E1
    Episode 1Media Watch returns with new host Linton Besser. This week: A media storm over big asylum seeker figures, but did anyone check the numbers? Nine ditches Darwin news; plus Planet America has a podcast - or does it?
  • Episode 2
    E2
    Episode 2Trump 2.0 media circus; ABC's 'Antoinette issue'; Nine's beach house porkies. Presented by Linton Besser.
  • Episode 3
    E3
    Episode 3Sam Newman's nazi boost; Daily Tele's stunt backfires; Seven's horoscope horror. Presented by Linton Besser.
  • Episode 4
    E4
    Episode 4'Jack The Ripper' revelations come back from the dead and the media keep forgetting. Seven puffs up golden boy Basil Zempilas in the WA elections. Plus Murdoch family infighting casts doubt over the company's future.
  • Episode 5
    E5
    Episode 5Marty Sheargold's jibe at the Matildas proves the final straw for Triple M bosses. A foreign interference scoop proves a dud. Plus Sky's Steve Price attempts his own Media Watch-style investigation.
  • Episode 6
    E6
    Episode 6Commercial TV networks go all in on Cyclone Alfred coverage, Labor scores a win with misreported housing numbers, plus Trump takes control of the White House press pack - giving supportive outlets new prominence.
  • Episode 7
    E7
    Episode 7The explosive laden caravan turns out to be a con job. Clive Palmer tries to provoke outrage and succeeds at The Age. Political commentator and one-time Liberal Party candidate depicted as an average punter on news website.
  • Episode 8
    E8
    Episode 8Claims by The Australian that Yallourn coal plant will have its life extended come under scrutiny. Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest's fight against Meta over scam ads. AI shopping ads give surprise fashion advice on Seven's website.
  • Episode 9
    E9
    Episode 9Labor invites social media influencers into budget lockup, Star journo Nick McKenzie caught on secret recording, plus There's a bear in there: an un-bear-lievable tale from The Australian.
  • Episode 10
    E10
    Episode 10Miracle sports water: Seven gives oxygenated water too much oxygen. Travel insurance tales: 1Cover's warm embrace by news outlets. Plus radio rebels rebuked: Another ACMA gong for Kyle and Jackie O.
  • Episode 11
    E11
    Episode 11Billionaire gives back: Adrian Portelli's cash splash whips shoppers and the news media into a frenzy. Plus reins of power - racing industry criticism curiously goes missing.
  • Episode 12
    E12
    Episode 12Poll position: A shock SMS poll result boots a Labor heavyweight, but raises questions. Plus an old-school comedian reaches out to an old acquaintance - ABC Chair Kim Williams - for help scoring interviews.
  • Episode 13
    E13
    Episode 13Election surprise: Labor's landslide win - why some media failed to sway voters. SBS's new family DNA show, with a big-pocketed partner backing it. Plus a touching greyhound racing story in the Herald Sun shows the tail wags the dog.
  • Episode 14
    E14
    Episode 14Holy smoke: How the election of a new Pope caught some in the media off guard. Nine's travel lift out showcases a new destination a little too far off the beaten track. Plus WA media gives the cold shoulder to its new NRL team.
  • Episode 15
    E15
    Episode 15One of Australia's most decorated soldiers loses another battle in his long running defamation case, 2GB fluffs up a scandal about children dressing up as animals plus the NRL appoint Seven's news boss to run the Perth Bears.
  • Episode 16
    E16
    Episode 16The Coalition's chaotic split given the Mills and Boon treatment by the media, Trump silences a lonely bastion of journalistic integrity in Asia, and The Chicago Sun-Times reading suggestions a little too far outside the box.
  • Episode 17
    E17
    Episode 17Live from censorship central, it was Dubai week on Nine's Today show. A front page story about a transgender child at a sports carnival filled with errors. Plus why a controversial ABC Gaza interview was taken offline.
  • Episode 18
    E18
    Episode 18What the Trump-Musk fallout tells us about the social media megaphones they own, charities left empty handed after being involved in a Channel 7 show and commercial news overlook a tragic custody death in the NT.
  • Episode 19
    E19
    Episode 19LA protests cast a shadow over press safety in the age of Trump; The drone advocate who happens to also be a drone investor; Plus a prominent reporter's secret trip bankrolled by a major defence company.
  • Episode 20
    E20
    Episode 20As the US bombs Iran, the fog of war descends over the media; A wild car chase on the streets of Melbourne given the hero treatment; plus The Herald Sun splash that got Tony Mokbel bashed and led to a big pay day.
  • Episode 21
    E21
    Episode 21Journalist Antoinette Lattouf has won her blockbuster legal showdown, so what does it mean for trust in your ABC? Plus from Donut Day to Free Chicken Day, the proliferation of 'National Food Days' helps sneak food ads into our news diets.
  • Episode 22
    E22
    Episode 22Outrage over the Adelaide Advertiser's racy treatment of a tragic killing. The automotive journalists who engaged in a financial engagement with the carmaker they were reviewing. Plus an AFR article's anti-red tape screed that conveniently leaves out an important fact.
  • Episode 23
    E23
    Episode 23Much room for mushrooms: What to make of the all-you-can-eat buffet of mushroom headlines, podcasts and TV specials. Plus a breakfast show's fast-food love-in prompts unsavoury questions.
  • Episode 24
    E24
    Episode 24A press picnic with the release of convicted criminal Salim Mehajer. China extends a warm welcome to Albanese, but not the journalists with him. Plus Sunrise's foot doctor with credentials that don't quite foot the bill.
  • Episode 25
    E25
    Episode 25In defence of a free press, South Park links arms with an unlikely ally in Rupert Murdoch. As photos of hunger shock the world, even those taking them begin to starve. Plus the AFR struggles to disclose its sponsored content.
  • Episode 26
    E26
    Episode 26A Sky News report falsely sounds the alarm on migration anarchy in Europe; The new tech behind the Government's social media ban has the gambling lobby rubbing their hands; The Daily Telegraph splashes the wrong kid across its tabloids.
  • Episode 27
    E27
    Episode 27Seven News brings us burger news that looks a little pre-assembled. A Herald Sun splash about a senior Victorian Liberal and his wife prompts outrage. A Daily Mail society listicle has not gone down well with those included.
  • Episode 28
    E28
    Episode 28SBS's debate on men, by men, becomes focused on women. Animal rights reporting faces an uncertain future due to a legal ruling. Plus a snake video splashed across news bulletins exposes the media's short-term memory.
  • Episode 29
    E29
    Episode 29Stop the Boeings: 2GB's Ben Fordham fires up his listeners with questionable migration numbers. Sky News' big interview with Benjamin Netanyahu fails to deliver. Plus the tech news outlets that fell for an AI writer.
  • Episode 30
    E30
    Episode 30ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle escapes jail time, but protections still fall short. A tragic youth suicide gets the full Courier-Mail treatment. Plus a retirement village so good it made the news.
  • Episode 31
    E31
    Episode 31Victoria's machete bins face scrutiny over their hefty price tag. Reporters urged to embrace the beauty of a one-sided story. Plus reports on refuelling anxiety are making headlines, but is this story running on empty?
  • Episode 32
    E32
    Episode 32Trouble in paradise: Tensions after Pacific journalists were excluded from the PM's presser. A US podcast outfit with truly a podcast for everyone. Plus Taliban tourism: influencers give Afghanistan an Instagram glow-up.
  • Episode 33
    E33
    Episode 33Stand-up, stood down: ABC America's axing of Jimmy Kimmel underscores how media giants are bowing to the new America. Plus a tourism reporter showcases the whale-watching industry on 7 News, but who's paying for the splash?
  • Episode 34
    E34
    Episode 34Sky's latest opinion show 'Freya Fires Up' self-combusts after a controversial bacon incident. Nine Radio's silence on a scandal involving a key advertiser. Plus Spoof Goof: 'Planet America' mistakes a comedy video for news.
  • Episode 35
    E35
    Episode 35Kerry Stokes quits, amid planned merge with Southern Cross Media. Worried about misinformation? You're the problem, according to tech overlords. Kidman and Urban's divorce hasn't stopped press from going into overdrive.
  • Episode 36
    E36
    Episode 36Trump's involvement in the Gaza ceasefire deal coincides with the Nobel Peace Prize announcement. A top motoring journalist at The Australian with a car marketing side hustle. Plus proposed changes to Freedom of Information will result in less freedom for less information.
  • Episode 37
    E37
    Episode 37Donald Trump's attempt to neuter independent reporting at the Pentagon prompted a press walkout that didn't initially involve one Australian outlet. Plus a spectacular podcast bust-up between an ABC star and a co-host tied to Melbourne's underworld.
  • Episode 38
    E38
    Episode 38Albo's Trump success was a surprise for those who anticipated failure. A popular electronics company doing under the table deals with online reviewers. Plus a Swisse supplement story revealed to be a mea culpa to an unhappy advertiser.
  • Episode 39
    E39
    Episode 39News Corp's Back Australia campaign calls for a return to local manufacturing, yet some of its sponsors are decidedly offshore. Southern Cross Austereo using AI to source and script news. Plus 10 News+ minus 30 minutes.
  • Episode 40
    E40
    Episode 40New York's new millennial mayor turns the Big Apple into a Pinko-Lady, offering a masterclass in political campaigning in the twilight of traditional media. A technology journalist pinged for gaming gadget reviews that are undisclosed ads. Live-streaming giant Disney+ exploits a loophole allowing it to run gambling ads during live sport that others aren't allowed.
  • Episode 41
    E41
    Episode 41BBC backlash: As the BBC grapples with its Trump-editing scandal, the spotlight has also swung onto the ABC. But is the criticism fair?
  • Episode 42
    E42
    Episode 42A fake mosque proposal duped the media, exposing how little fact-checking was done. Satirical news site The Betoota Advocate laugh all the way to the bank with cheeky sponsored content. Thanks to eagle-eyed tipsters.

 

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