Whistleblowing has long been a key part of the ability of media to hold governments and corporations to account, but the toll on the whistleblowers and journalists involved can be extremely heavy. The Federal Government's proposed public sector whistleblower reforms, including the establishment of a Whistleblowing Ombudsman, are working their way through the legal process and experts are concerned they won't provide the right protections for people wanting to sound the alarm.

Can Australian public servants be summoned to Washington? E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant has been asked to appear before a United States Congressional Committee, but it remains unclear if she'll go. It's a busy month for the commissioner and many others as the social media restrictions loom in early December. Meta announced they're starting with restrictions a week early. Are they going too soon or is everyone else behind?

The ABC closed out the 2025 media upfronts season this week with its content showcase for 2026. Its Managing Director Hugh Marks also took to the dais of the National Press Club on Wednesday to exhort ABC journalists to "stick to the journalism". What's in store for public broadcasting in 2026?

It's been another tough week for the staff at the media behemoth Nine with the head of their broadcast division promising to "squeeze" more out of the beleaguered department. Is the season of the cuts particularly harsh this year?

Guest: Dr Rebecca Ananian-Welsh, Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, Executive Director of Public Law with the Centre for Public International and Comparative Law (CPICL), and Chief Editor of the University of Queensland Law Journal

You can binge more episodes of the MediaLand podcast with media insiders Tim Burrowes and Vivienne Kelly on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find interviews with the big media bosses, the journalists on the ground and the hacks who hunt for the big media scoops.

Please email us at Medialand@abc.net.au if you would like to get in touch, we read them all and love hearing from you!

Whistleblowing to media under threat

MediaLand

Whistleblowing to media under threat