Climate misinformation inquiry stops short on reform
Australia’s first inquiry into climate misinformation finds a systemic problem distorting public debate – but its strongest solutions sit outside the main report.
Recent articles in Media
30 March 2026
Share prices, sports results … CO₂ levels? The case for reporting climate stats every day
Regular reporting of atmospheric carbon levels could make climate change more visible, understandable and actionable in everyday public life.
29 March 2026
None of the diverse ‘journalists’ writing for this Aussie news site are real
A fully automated news site with no journalists shows how easily AI can mimic credibility – and how exposed Australia is to manipulation.
29 March 2026
Trump is remaking the US media in his own image – and smashing accountability with it
As Trump escalates attacks on journalists, a new mega-media empire aligned with political power is reshaping the US media landscape.
28 March 2026
Trump’s new tariff war, America’s waning status in Asia, and mixed reviews for BTS – Asian Media Report
The legal fiction behind America’s trade attack, Asia is the main victim of global energy crisis, Pakistan’s ‘indirect talks’ diplomacy, K-pop company’s sagging share-price, Takaichi survives Trump summit, and Cambodia’s push to restore ancient heritage.
28 March 2026
Social media ruled addictive by US jury
A landmark US verdict finds Instagram and YouTube’s design features addictive – opening the door to a wave of legal action against big tech.
11 March 2026
If China is Iran's 'most powerful ally,' then Australia must be China's
A media analysis asks why China hasn’t defended Iran. But the real puzzle is why anyone assumes Beijing has a military obligation to do so.
7 March 2026
Message from the Editor
When I stared in newspapers it was often said that today’s paper is tomorrow’s fish and chip wrapper. It is a relief to know that some are not so casual about the press. John Menadue and Paul Keating both have long memories, and mark a special anniversary today. It is exactly three years to the day since The Age and SMH ran a series called 'Red Alert – warning war with China would come within three years, making that deadline today.
7 March 2026
Herald, Age news abuse shamefully exposed
Three years ago today, the editorial leadership of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age wilfully and dangerously misled the communities of Sydney and Melbourne into believing that at or by today, 7 March 2026, Australia would face the prospect of a direct attack by China and its military on the mainland of Australia.
7 March 2026
For 27 years, the Kyle and Jackie O Show indulged Australia’s most vulgar, sexist impulses
The collapse of the Kyle and Jackie O radio partnership highlights a contradiction in Australian media culture – a society that condemns misogyny yet rewarded a program built on vulgarity, sexism and humiliation.
25 February 2026
How a nuclear test that never happened became news
A US allegation that China conducted a secret nuclear test was widely reported despite clear evidence to the contrary, highlighting how security claims are too often treated as facts before they are proven.
13 February 2026
An incomparable job, an honoured place as Founder
John Menadue, and the late Susie Menadue, did an incomparable job in conceiving, establishing, growing and nurturing Pearls and Irritations as a brave and independent alternative to the conformity of Australia’s legacy media.
12 February 2026
Message from the Editor-in-Chief
Pearls and Irritations is entering a new phase, with Editor-in-Chief John Menadue stepping back from day-to-day leadership and new appointments strengthening our future.
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