An upstart political party has taken aim at Google for banning it from using its logo or the word “opium” in its online ads, while another activist group is fighting with Facebook over claims of censorship.

Fairfax has finally dished up the details on its paywall strategy. That and other media news of the day — watch for the Shetland pony …

Voters punish Julia Gillard for bad news, but Tony Abbott seems to share in the spoils of good policy announcements.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority, the main media regulator, wants public input. Plus other media news of the day.

Seven of Metro Media Publishing’s eight eastern titles will close. Only the 148-year-old Dandenong Journal will remain open for business.

Following the death of Yothu Yindi frontman Yunupingu, media outlets are left wrestling with the question of whether or not to publish his first name.

And commercialism makes three: the Two of Us column has turned into a spruik.

How sorry is Tom Waterhouse really? That and other media tidbits.

Crikey publishing director director Marina Go had a front-row seat to the women’s magazine war of the 1980s and ’90s. The TV portrayal may differ from actual events.

The V8 Supercar racing series flew journalists to America to cover an event. It’s not the first time they’ve done it, and other sports like the AFL are also putting journalists on planes to maximise coverage.

Andrew Bolt weighs into the controversy over Eddie McGuire’s “racist gaffe”. That and other media news.

The Attorney-General’s Department has admitted data retention will be “trivially easy” to avoid and that intelligence services want to be able to break into encrypted internet systems like Tor.

Was Peter Fitzsimons up to no good at a charity gala? That and other media tidbits.

With all the bad news around this week, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott did what he was supposed to and kept his mouth shut.

The Left is dead — hopelessly lost in the minutiae of gestures, rainbow crossings, political correctness and confected outrage about the latest Geoffrey Barker piece. It’s time for the Left to think about material conditions and macroeconomics.

John Garnaut, one of Australia’s most respected foreign correspondents, is heading home after a stint in China. Who will Fairfax pick to replace him?

News Limited, Fairfax and other big media companies say the government’s proposed whistleblower laws need major changes. It’s brought them together to fight for whistleblower protection.

Metro Media Publishing, battling a sea of red ink in its suite of former Fairfax suburban mastheads, is slashing staff costs. A sell-off could also be on the cards.

The ABC has announced a new team dedicated to checking up on pollies’ spin, and US website PolitiFact is also opening an Australian division.

Claims that women are being sent to the back of the room at some Islamic events at Melbourne University should be addressed. But other religions also discriminate on gender.

All media eyes will be on the announcement of a new host for Media Watch, with Jonathan Holmes set to stand down soon. Who will the ABC pick?

In an age of fragmentation and financial difficulties, court costs for media lawsuits are becoming prohibitive. What impact will this have on what journos dare to write?

Paddy Manning exposed the incestuous nature of business journalism in Crikey. It raises bigger questions about who finance journalists represent, writes ex-business hack Jim “Mr Denmore” Parker.

Fortescue Metals Group paid for travel and accommodation for multiple journalists at the Bo’ao forum, but you wouldn’t hear it from News or Fairfax.

“Class warfare” is a confected term sprayed about across the nation’s newspapers of late to shut down policy debate. But funny how it only applies to the rich …

Should journalists accept leaks in exchange for not seeking critical comment? Crikey examines the pros and cons of the media “drops” that you’re not told about.

Billionaire mining heiress Gina Rinehart looks set to be cross-examined by her kids’ lawyers later this year. But they’re not the only parties peeved with the iron ore magnate.

Editors at The Australian Financial Review have hit back at claims there is creeping advertorial in the business paper, after dismissing journalist Paddy Manning for public criticism.

Former WA bureau chief of The Australian Tony Barrass reflects on his time in jail for protecting his sources, as five of his colleagues are facing the same fate.

The American newspaper industry is in crisis. But the peak industry body has a novel way of putting a positive spin on the dire numbers — it stopped reporting them.

Fairfax journalist Paddy Manning fears the incursion of The Australian Financial Review in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He writes scathingly of his employer for Crikey.

A clever website purporting to show the difference between the speed of Labor’s NBN and the Coalition’s broadband plan has gone viral — but is it a fair and accurate representation? We fact-check How Fast is the NBN.

Australian publishing assets are dragging News Corp down, and hiving them off can’t come soon enough for shareholders. Plus, some shareholders want to ditch chairman Rupert Murdoch.

Australia’s largest companies say they’re using social media, but they’re not using the networks most Australians use. Twitter rules, ahead of Facebook.

Tom Waterhouse has to be stopped, according to one gambling industry insider. His pervasive brand of promotion is giving everyone in the gambling game a bad name. Now Tony Abbott is on the case.

Drug dealing thrives in secret corners of cyberspace, but hackers have interrupted business on The Silk Road — known as the eBay of drugs — with only theories on who’s behind it.

Here’s a first: there’s paid advertising appearing on a federal government website (the Bureau of Meteorology). Does this pose a problem — and who might be next?

You could have the box seat for the next terrorist attack — whether you like it or not. The Boston bombings and resulting social media storm were a window to the revolution online.

In an age of fragmentation and financial difficulties, court costs for media lawsuits are becoming prohibitive. What impact will this have on what journos dare to write?

Tom Waterhouse is everywhere, but will his business go the distance? The ubiquitous online bookmaker has a high-risk business strategy mirroring the dot-com legacy.

Celebrity chef website Eatlove has secured partnerships with some of the top foodies in Australia, yet publishers and a Murdoch, writes StartUp Smart reporter Michelle Hammond.

The fashion industry is demanding ever-thinner models. But Crikey publishing director and former women’s magazine editor Marina Go says jutting bones and hollowed cheeks are bad for business.

Yes, Malcolm Turnbull knows Labor’s NBN policy of fibre to the premises is technically superior than the Coalition’s plan. But he argues this is not the only factor.

The British county of Kent appointed a new youth commissioner — who turns out was acting like a bit of a youth on Twitter. The scandal is a top tabloid fodder across the nation.

A Melbourne doctor with stunning claims about gender-based abortion didn’t tell News Limited about his pro-life views. Or that he’s a member of the anti-abortion Democratic Labor Party.

The line from News Limited on recognising local government in the constitution doesn’t make much sense given the value of councils to the company’s vast community newspaper network.

Australia is a culture of collectivism, not individualism, and no matter what Nick Cater says in his new book, we will never be American go-getters.

Paddy Manning exposed the incestuous nature of business journalism in Crikey. It raises bigger questions about who finance journalists represent, writes ex-business hack Jim “Mr Denmore” Parker.

Fortescue Metals Group paid for travel and accommodation for multiple journalists at the Bo’ao forum, but you wouldn’t hear it from News or Fairfax.

Should journalists accept leaks in exchange for not seeking critical comment? Crikey examines the pros and cons of the media “drops” that you’re not told about.

The fashion industry is demanding ever-thinner models. But Crikey publishing director and former women’s magazine editor Marina Go says jutting bones and hollowed cheeks are bad for business.

Editors at The Australian Financial Review have hit back at claims there is creeping advertorial in the business paper, after dismissing journalist Paddy Manning for public criticism.

The American newspaper industry is in crisis. But the peak industry body has a novel way of putting a positive spin on the dire numbers — it stopped reporting them.

Fairfax journalist Paddy Manning fears the incursion of The Australian Financial Review in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He writes scathingly of his employer for Crikey.

From what has appeared in print and from talk among brokers, there’s a fear in the Murdoch camp that many investors, especially his big US supporters, don’t want to be found owning a print-skewing company.

Fairfax has shed jobs again. Today, it’s senior management shown the door (or given new titles). Will it pave the way for another round of broader cuts — or lead to more copy-sharing across the mastheads?

A former Labor MP from Adelaide has penned a novel about life in Parliament House in the 1980s. Keep an eye out for appearances by Bob Hawke, Paul Keating and John Howard …

How can Andrew Bolt point to a graph as showing a “pause” in global warming, when it unequivocally shows the opposite? He’s a propagandist of the highest order.

Even the raciest tabloids in the UK are refusing to identify the household name arrested on suspicion of sexual offences. Australian media has done the same thing. So what’s going on?

The transcript and audio of academic Marcia Langton’s recent Boyer Lectures has been altered to remove her querying whether environmentalist Tim Flannery is “provocative and racist”.

The deck is stacked against athletes, who damage their bodies and minds irrevocably for the chance to play at the top level for a few years, writes Dr James Connor.

More details of Nathan Tinkler’s troubled financial situation are set to be made public, after the lifting of a super-injunction against Fairfax.

Court proceedings to wind up the publisher of some of Australia’s most iconic gay and lesbian publications have begun, write Matthew Knott and Miles Heffernan.

The media love to talk about themselves and were breathless on Labor’s proposed media reforms. But audiences gave a big shrug, more interested in a new Pope.

Environmental writer Graham Readfearn tackles some Australian companies on their enviro-friendly spin — and finds the reality doesn’t always match the rhetoric.

The compassionless young dolts at the Sydney University Liberal Club described Alan Jones’ speech as “brilliant”. But we should not forget his shameless remarks.

Paid-for junkets for travel writers are increasingly a part of the business, editors tell Larry Schlesinger. But how does it colour the reviews we read?

Traditional quit smoking campaigns have had little impact in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – but an innovative online campaign using the power of social media and story-telling is showing promise.

Nine Entertainment Co’s debt position has been well documented, but what about the trading performance of the company under David Gyngell. A media insider says there are serious questions to be asked.

There’s no doubt Channel Nine’s head honchos will feel bruised by the bollocking their station’s Olympic Games coverage has copped from journalists and social media users over the past two weeks.

The Alcohol Advertising Review Board (AARB) has been very busy since its launch in March. A flood of complaints reveal vast community concerns about alcohol advertising in Australia, writes Rebecca Johnson.

Developments overseas have placed further doubt on the rigid paywall models adopted by News Corporation. Free sites are cashing in along with The New York Times and Financial Times.

One day they’re rolling out the red carpet, the next Warner Bros. was dealing with headlines asking if Batman had blood on his hands. How does Hollywood handle real-life tragedy?

You probably hadn’t heard of permeate a few months ago. And yet now it’s a food super villain. How did we get here, asks Georgie Moore?

For many people in Darwin and the Top End “budju” is a slang swear word in common use. But it’s not the kind of word you’d expect to find on a can of Coke, reports Bob Gosford.

Harold Mitchell’s decision to choose Aegis shares over a $100 million cash payout on the takeover of Mitchell Communications has doubled his rewards, according to a new takeover valuation for Aegis.

Foxtel once predicted pay-TV would be installed in three-quarters of homes. In fact, at 28% Australia has one of the lowest rates in the developed world. So what went wrong?

The popular ABC show is a ratings winner and counters the nastiness that dominates other current affairs programming. But has Aunty gone too far to give its subjects a golden glow?

Seven West Media has another CEO — the second in less than a year. TV man Tim Worner will take over from Don Voelte in July, the company announced to the ASX today.

Fairfax columnist Mike Carlton is a staunch defender of the ABC, but not last night’s Australian Story program on 2GB’s Ray Hadley. He plans to lodge a formal complaint.

Crikey examines how media and culture organisations fared in this year’s budget. The ABC and SBS are smiling — and the ghost of Simon Crean lives on.

There’s nothing like parental leave. Go to a movie, play squash, wash the car — all these activities lie on the same plane. Put “be with your child” in it, you’ll see the difference.

The American TV networks have announced what they are picking up for 2013-14, and Australian networks will be hoping to get some ratings winners.

Australian publishing assets are dragging News Corp down, and hiving them off can’t come soon enough for shareholders. Plus, some shareholders want to ditch chairman Rupert Murdoch.

Tom Waterhouse has to be stopped, according to one gambling industry insider. His pervasive brand of promotion is giving everyone in the gambling game a bad name. Now Tony Abbott is on the case.