The King’s Tribune: “What would happen if The Onion and The Monthly got together in a bar.” Crikey begins a look at media start-ups.
Articles by Margaret Simons 
About Margaret Simons
Margaret Simons is a freelance journalist and author, and convenor of the journalism program at Swinburne University of Technology. She is also Chair of the Foundation for Public Interest Journalism.
Simons’ sandle-gate: $160 to charity
After Margaret Simons’ sandals were brought to unexpected notoriety by Miranda Devine, Simons kicked off a bidding war for them on Twitter. Here’s an update.
Fink revealed as a well-read, often three-barrelled questioner
Observers of the federal government media inquiry hearings over the past couple of weeks were left in no doubt that inquiry head Ray Finkelstein is smart.
Media inquiry: straw men aside, News emerges as Mr Nice Guy
News Limited CEO John Hartigan and group editorial director Campbell Reid appeared before Ray Finkelstein and made it clear that they are willing to support better self-regulation.
Media inquiry: what is your problem, Fink? asks Hywood
Team Fairfax — Greg Hywood, Gail Hambly and Peter Fray — arrived with a suggestion of attitude and began their presentation with assertion
Media inquiry: MEAA wants one-stop shop for complaints
The journalists’ union has advocated the establishment of a “one-stop shop” for complaints against news organisations, covering broadcast, print and online media.
JB Fairfax, flick go the shares, while masthead editors in power struggle
The internal machinations at Fairfax and News Limited surely tell us that we live in an age where the newspaper business is increasingly devoid of sentiment.
Williams, sans boys’ club machismo, breaks News Ltd mould
Kim Williams’ elevation will bring some changes, and alter key dynamics in Australia’s largest newspaper publisher.
Simons: Disney defends Press Council on day two of inquiry
The likelihood of a strong move to discourage abusive online comments threads in mainstream media outlets emerged at the media inquiry today, with inquiry head Ray Finkelstein and Australian Press Council Chair Julian Disney agreeing they were damaging to democracy and freedom of speech.
Media inquiry: ‘marketplace of ideas’ not working that well
The public hearings of the federal government’s media inquiry got under way this morning with a distinctly anti-statutory regulation tinge.
Mega Aunty failure: Media Watch break ill-timed given media inquiry
The end of the Media Watch season in particular is close to a scandal, a mega public broadcaster fail.
At Fairfax, Times are changing; Baker to ramp up news coverage
Fairfax Media is planning to expand its online National Times opinion site into news coverage, just as News Limited’s The Australian moves its best content behind an online paywall.
Simons: Dear (Media) Diary, you are just so predictable …
The swipe at me in The Australian’s Diary column this morning is so predictable one wonders if it is even worth a response, writes Margaret Simons.
Simons: to tweet or not to tweet from court…
During the course of yesterday I became aware that The Australian’s Melbourne bureau chief, Chip Le Grand, was applying to the court for an audio recording of the first day’s hearing.
Artz case: Vic police ‘dumbfounded’ by level of info AFP gave to The Oz
Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police had a sharp disagreement about the extent of confidential briefings given to The Australian newspaper in order to persuade it to hold off publication of its scoop in a joint anti terrorism operation.
When The Oz muscles the AFP, that’s a story
It is impossible to separate the extraordinary behaviour of News Limited editor Paul Whittaker, revealed in the Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday without also considering the context of media power in Australia.
The Oz editor bargained over lives in AFP raid
Former editor of The Australian, Paul Whittaker, bargained with police over how many lives would be lost if the newspaper published its scoop on the anti-terrorism operation before raids took place.
Crikey wins right to publish ‘embarrassing’ docs on The Oz editor
Crikey has won — for the moment — its bid to prevent the suppression of how The Australian obtained a confidential briefing from the AFP over the Operation Neath raid.
Protecting sources … when is a journalist not a journalist?
Just who is and isn’t a journalist is yet to be tested in court. One day, surely, it will be and that will be very interesting indeed. Is bad journalism, such as Andrew Bolt’s recent litigated inaccuracies, still journalism. Is good blogging journalism? Interesting questions.
Media soft-pedals approach to murky world of disclosure
I think in this saga the Herald Sun has been more clueless than culpable — although sometimes deep cluelessness can itself be culpable.
OPI report: secret deals and media manipulation
A report released this week reveals a trail of misinformation, secret deals and media manipulation by a ministerial adviser that in part provoked the resignation of Victorian Police Commissioner Simon Overland.
Troubled SBS needs $50m government handout in a hurry
You can call it a “tight budgetary situation”, or you can call it a crisis. Either way, the rumble is that SBS is in real trouble.
Paywalls (now with bonus holes) and the future of journalism at News
There are smart people at News Limited. Some of them seem to have been given, if not their heads, then at least some slack in the reins.
AFP: details of dealing with The Oz a ‘national security issue’
The Australian Federal Police has claimed that release of details of its dealings with The Australian might endanger national security and undermine “mutual trust and co-operation” between the force and media organisations.
News Ltd, AFP join forces to suppress Simon Artz conversation
The Australian government solicitor and the AFP are co-operating with News Limited in an attempt to suppress the contents of a key conversation between Paul Whittaker and police commissioner Tony Negus.
