Big Ideas ABC listen

In a world of hyper-connectivity and social media, why do so many of us feel so damn lonely? Being lonely isn’t the same as being alone, and some people love their solitude. But loneliness is widespread, growing, affects all ages, and seriously sucks for your physical and mental health. Why are we so ashamed to talk about it, and what can help? Four guests join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell for a frank, fearless and moving conversation about a very modern challenge.

Many people embark on a journey to discover their family's past in order to contextualise their present. But what happens when that journey uncovers something unwelcome?

This was the case for the award-winning Australian writer David Marr. His great great grandfather, Reginald, was an officer of the Queensland Native Police — a force whose task it was to hunt and kill Indigenous people. This discovery has informed David's latest book, Killing for Country: A family story, which traces the structures that supported the violence of Australian settlement. Join David in dialogue with anthropologist and geographer, Marcia Langton, whose ancestors were murdered by the Native Police.

Please note this discussion features distressing discussions of massacres against First Nations Australians. For further assistance, contact the free, 24-hour Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander counselling line 13 YARN (13 92 76). 

What happens when Australia’s best poets and writers walk into the world of scientists? How do they feed of each other’s brilliant, inventive minds to help us understand one of the most challenging experiences of our lives ... watching a loved one slowly lose their mind?  

A range of media outlets — including the ABC — have been criticised for their coverage of the latest Israel-Gaza war. There have been protests, apologies, and retractions from the likes of the BBC and CNN. But in a moment where it is notoriously difficult for foreign journalists to gain access to Gaza, what are the obligations of news media when reporting on the Israel Gaza war? 

Note: This is part one of the discussion. Listen to the second part here. 

Responsibilities of the News Media on Palestine was a University of Technology Sydney webinar, first recorded on November 10, 2023. 

Speakers: 

Rawan Damen
Director-general, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism

Zahera Harb
International Journalism Studies Cluster lead, City University, London, former war correspondent 

Karen Percy
Federal Media President, Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, former ABC foreign correspondent

Antony Lowenstein
Journalist, film maker, and author, The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports The Technology Of Occupation Around The World

Martin Newman (moderator)
Journalism lecturer and coordinator of media law and ethics, UTS

A range of media outlets — including the ABC — have been criticised for their coverage of the latest Israel-Gaza war. There have been protests, apologies, and retractions from the likes of the BBC and CNN. But in a moment where it is notoriously difficult for foreign journalists to gain access to Gaza, what are the obligations of news media when reporting on the Israel Gaza war? 

Responsibilities of the News Media on Palestine was a University of Technology Sydney webinar, first recorded on November 10, 2023. 

Note: This is part two of the discussion. Listen to the first part here. 

Speakers: 

Monica Attard
Co-director of the Centre for Media Transition, UTS, and former ABC broadcaster and foreign correspondent

Amy McQuire
Journalist, editor, and PhD candidate at the University of Queensland

Antony Lowenstein
Journalist, film maker, and author, The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports The Technology Of Occupation Around The World

Martin Newman (moderator)
Journalism lecturer and coordinator of media law and ethics, UTS

Multi-award-winning Australian photojournalist Andrew Quilty went to Afghanistan on a two-week assignment. He stayed for 9 years.
At just 25, Afghan-born women's activist Zahra Karimi found herself facilitating a 5000-strong network of Afghan women.
As the Taliban took over in August 2021, and the Republic of Afghanistan crumbled, both had to get out of the country they loved. With a mass exodus, came a mass deletion. Websites, files, records, social media accounts were all wiped to protect people from persecution by the Taliban. So who will tell the stories of Afghanistan as it was before authoritarian rule? Andrew and Zahra want those stories to be heard by the world. They join Big Ideas' host Natasha Mitchell at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne.