February
Simon Mordant calls for arts body bosses to go after ‘tragic mess’
The major Venice Biennale donor says the positions of Creative Australia’s CEO and chair are untenable after it dropped its 2026 entrant following political scrutiny.
January
Fact is, Meta’s following Musk’s populist’s vibe
Whether Mark Zuckerberg made his decision to placate Trump or from a commitment to free speech, it’s a victory for freedom of expression.
Zuckerberg kills off a fact-checking system already on its deathbed
Big tech’s facade of voluntary platform action on false and misleading information has crumbled.
October 2024
Xi Jinping tightens stranglehold on China’s academia
Scholars have been fired or ‘disappeared’ as Beijing clamps down on discussion of sensitive topics, including the economy.
The government’s misinformation bill is a betrayal of democracy
This bill incentivises censorship. It makes the government the ultimate arbiter of truth. It has no place in our nation.
August 2024
Why Telegram became the go-to app for troublemakers
A light-touch approach to content moderation means the software is now a prime target for governments trying to stop criminal activities and misinformation.
June 2024
Calls to ban WeChat grow after Canberra clashes
Mandarin-language social media platform WeChat has banned coverage of clashes that broke out between Chinese Australians during Premier Li Qiang’s visit.
March 2024
India bans ABC broadcasts on Sikh separatist killing
The broadcasts related to the fallout from the alleged murder of a man whose slaying was linked to the Indian government by Canada’s prime minister.
January 2024
The real danger posed by diversity, equity and inclusion
In the name of these progressive concepts, all too many institutions have violated their constitutional commitments to free speech, due process and equal protection of the law.
Was 2023 the year of peak woke?
As a middle-aged, white-ish man, I may not be best placed to pronounce the decline of woke. Still, I can see its problems mounting.
November 2023
Political correctness is too much for the ‘exhausted majority’
You should concentrate on how you say things rather than walking on eggshells for fear of offending someone by what you say.
September 2023
Elon Musk reveals Twitter takeover driven by ‘woke mind virus’
Elon Musk was driven to buy Twitter after fearing his transgender daughter had been infected by an “anti-right-wing” mindset common on the platform.
December 2022
‘Breach of the big silence’: China’s censorship stretched to the limit
Authorities are suddenly pushing up against the limit of their surveillance capabilities as protesters get increasingly wily about countermeasures.
March 2022
Brazil’s top court blocks messaging app in ‘fake news’ crackdown
The push to shut Telegram in Brazil is part of efforts to combat misinformation and falsehoods about the country’s electoral system, but the ban is already being challenged by the right-wing government.
Through the looking glass: how Russians see the war
Putin’s crackdown on dissent gives him space to present his mind-bending narrative of the war in Ukraine. Willingly or fearfully, many Russians accept it.
Russia cracks down on dissenting media, blocks Facebook
Russia has intensified a crackdown on media outlets and individuals, blocking Facebook and Twitter and criminalising the intentional spreading of what Moscow deems to be “fake” reports.
January 2022
Hong Kong’s Citizen News says closure triggered by Stand News collapse
Citizen News said it would cease operations from Tuesday, describing the media environment in the Chinese-ruled city as ‘deteriorating’.
September 2021
Russo says tech crackdown could be good for China
One of Warren Buffett’s strongest supporters says China’s pressure on tech giants such as Alibaba is a much-needed “disinfectant” for the unruly sector.
July 2021
China would learn a great deal from Australia’s education system
The land of Little Red Books would profit from talking about indoctrination with the best.
March 2021
China punishes LinkedIn for lax censorship
LinkedIn has been allowed to operate in China, because Microsoft agrees to censor posts made by Chinese users. Now, it’s in hot water for not censoring enough.