Stephen Conroy — The Power Index’s number one media maestro — makes some sensible observations about Australian content to Paul Barry.
December, 2011
Crikey Says: If you want to regulate it, pay for it
Explaining Mitt Romney’s ‘America American’ gaffe
Mitt Romney sparked controversy during a stump speech by using a line dangerously close to a Ku Klux Klan slogan. What exactly did he mean when he said ‘keep America American’? asks Yoni Appelbaum.
My Cup Of Tea: The painful waiting game for arts bodies on funding
How do you plan for the coming year when you don’t know whether your main source of income will arrive? Arts organisations face a difficult time waiting for their grant announcements.
The Artist leads the Oscars race
Who would have thought a black and white French film would be the “one to beat” for next year’s Academy Awards? The Artist is leading the pack and will grab more nominations than any other title, predicts Anne Thompson.
Fox News’ greatest WTF? moments of 2011
Obama’s hip-hop BBQ, pepper spray: the food product, political agendas from Sponge Bob, Sesame Street and The Muppets and more. Buzz Feed presents the best — and worst — of Fox News in 2011.
Stephen Conroy: reshaping our media landscape
Stephen Conroy is the most powerful media maestro in Australia. Not so long ago Conroy was a powerful political fixer on the Labor Right. Nowadays he’s busy being a minister but still likes to get his way, writes Paul Barry.
PHOTO GALLERY 
The stars, baby, the stars…
Bob Gosford went camping at the Gippsland lakes and pointed his camera towards the sky. This is what he saw…
album reviews The Black Keys’ El Camino — rock blues by numbers
The Black Keys seem to be filling the void left by The White Stripes’ self-imposed demise with El Camino. It’s garage rock blues by numbers but it’s also immediately likeable, writes Neil Walker.
healthcare Crying babies: what parents need to know v what they are told
Many parents and their babies are not getting the help they need. Instead they are getting advice flavoured by old ideologies popular throughout the second half of the 20th century, writes Pamela Douglas.
Louis CK and the power of online indie distribution
Following the example of countless indie filmmakers and bands, comedian Louis CK opted to produce his own stand-up show online. With outstanding results, it will pave the way for plenty more similar ventures, writes Dan Barrett.
Joan Didion’s Blue Nights — intensely personal exploration of grief
How does one write about grief? Joan Didion brings her own bad dreams to Blue Nights, a novel about her daughter’s death described with such close detail it makes you wince, writes Bethanie Blanchard.
podcast Canberra Calling: The All I Want For Xmas Is A New Cabinet podcast
Canberra correspondent Bernard Keane is in Melbourne for Crikey’s Christmas party and he joins editor Sophie Black in the office to discuss Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s interesting Cabinet reshuffle.
film reviews Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol — entertainment accomplished
Two-time Oscar winning director Brad Bird gives the Mission: Impossible franchise an almighty boost in this spectacular pulse-pounder that, despite its espionage gadgets, feels awesomely retrograde, writes Luke Buckmaster.
Time Person of the Year is … too many to mention
This year was a year of protest — from Wall Street to the Arab Spring — and, as such, Time magazine has chosen to not honour any sole identifiable individual. If there is one thing that Time loves more than the anti-hero it’s the collective and/or inanimate.
Steady drip of bad news as the Euro catastrophe unfolds
The deal brokered at last week’s Brussels summit is unravelling as things go from bad to disastrous in Europe.
Parkinson: think small and kick out coal
If Australia is going to meet its targets on reducing emissions from its energy sector and keeping energy prices under control, it’s going to need some revolutionary thinking from somewhere, writes Giles Parkinson.
Jetstar stuff-up raises concerns over air safety diligence
Cockpit resource management failures kill people when they go wrong. They are a major cause of air disasters.
Aboriginal crime and punishment: incarceration rates rise under neoliberalism
The number of indigenous prisoners has increased for the 11th year in a row, despite the prisoner population falling for the first time in a decade. Inga Ting reports a history of failed government policy.
Convergence review: time to regulate the internet
The Convergence Review has unveiled the most dramatic proposals to regulate the internet seen in Australia for years. If implemented, the proposals would represent a dramatic increase in protectionism.
In Tassie, wise heads back Giddings, despite the motley crew
Tasmanian Labor’s major challenge at the moment is to prevent the Greens becoming the official opposition party at the next election, writes Bruce Montgomery, ex-political correspondent with The Australian.
Bartholomeusz: penning a Telstra succession plan?
Yesterday, Andrew Penn emerged with one of the most interesting and challenging roles in corporate Australia, with Telstra announcing his appointment as chief financial officer. Is succession in the wind?
Banks make huge savings thanks to cheaper local deposits
With the surge in domestic savings (running at 10%) and low demand for loans, banks have been able to build substantial deposit cushions, allowing further cuts in offshore borrowing.
