Fourth Estate

2SER
  • 5.0 (2)
  • News
  • Biweekly

Every week, we discuss how the media has covered the news and analyse issues affecting the industry - with some of the biggest names in journalism in Australia and around the world. Broadcast live on Sydney's 2SER 107.3FM, with the financial assistance of the Community Broadcasting Foundation.

  1. 2d ago

    America's Reckoning: Trump, the Midterms and the Media

    American voters have delivered a political reckoning, handing Democrats control of the House and Senate and producing historic results in Texas and Michigan. But what do the midterms reveal about Donald Trump's presidency, the influence of powerful political interests, and the state of American democracy? As CBS News undergoes a transformation, CNN faces questions about editorial independence, and public broadcasting reels from funding cuts, America's media institutions are facing a reckoning of their own. Tina Quinn is joined by Kim Hoggard, former Assistant Press Secretary to Ronald Reagan who also worked with James Baker and George H. W. Bush, and Prue Clarke, former ABC and Financial Times journalist and Co-Founder and Executive Director of New Narratives. Together, they examine the changing relationship between the White House and the press, AIPAC's influence in American politics, the consequences of the war in Iran, and whether American journalism is equipped to hold political power to account. We'd love to hear from you! Email us at fourthestate@2ser.com or find us on X @fourthestateau. Subscribe to Fourth Estate wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to leave us a rating and review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  2. Oct 29

    The Independent Mind: Chris Nash on Reporting from the Outside

    What can journalists see from outside the centres of power—and what might proximity prevent them from questioning? In the inaugural 2SER Oration, journalist and academic Chris Nash examines the importance of independent journalism through the work of American investigative reporter I.F. Stone. Drawing on Stone’s coverage of the Korean War, Nash explores how publicly available evidence can challenge official narratives—and why consequential stories can still disappear from public understanding. Following the address, Nash joins Fourth Estate host Tina Quinn to discuss editorial independence, media ownership, the corporatisation of universities and the conditions that allow rigorous journalism to flourish. They consider the pressures facing journalists inside major news organisations, the responsibilities of independent outlets, and the role community broadcasting plays in sustaining both emerging reporters and experienced practitioners. Recorded at the University of Technology Sydney on 22 October 2026 as part of 2SER’s Radiothon, The Independent Mind launches an annual forum examining the pressing issues facing journalism, media and public life. Support independent community broadcasting by subscribing or donating at 2ser.com. Want to get in touch? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at fourthestate@2ser.com or follow us @fourthestateau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  3. Oct 15

    One From the Archives: Peter Greste on Our Wall of Secrecy

    Who gets to defend the public’s right to know—and when do they need permission? After ABC journalist and union president Michael Slezak faced possible disciplinary action over an article opposing restrictions on access to company directors’ information, we revisit a conversation about press freedom with award-winning journalist Peter Greste. Originally broadcast in November 2023, Greste joins then Fourth Estate host Anthony Dockrill to examine Australia’s secrecy laws, the vulnerability of journalists and whistleblowers, and the chilling effect of legal threats on public interest reporting. Drawing on his experience of spending 400 days imprisoned in Egypt, Greste argues for stronger protections for journalism—and asks what the public loses when important stories become too risky to pursue. Introduced by Tina Quinn with context on this week’s ABC dispute and the staff pushback that followed. Please note: the legal developments, cases and figures discussed in the archive interview reflect November 2023. Want to get in touch? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at fourthestate@2ser.com or follow us @fourthestateau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  4. Oct 9

    One From the Archives: Kate McClymont on Murder, Corruption and the Art of Investigation

    One of Australia's most celebrated investigative journalists, Kate McClymont has spent decades exposing corruption, organised crime and the murky relationships between money and political power. In this episode from the Fourth Estate archives, originally broadcast in September 2019, McClymont joins former host, Peter Fray to discuss Dead Man Walking, her book co-written with journalist Vanda Carson about the extraordinary life and murder of Sydney businessman Michael McGurk. Gunned down outside his Cremorne home in 2009, McGurk had warned McClymont just ten days earlier that he believed there was a contract out on his life. His murder exposed a tangled web of property developers, political connections, corruption and criminality. McClymont reflects on the investigation, the challenges of dealing with unreliable and self-interested sources, and the persistence required to uncover the truth. The pair also discuss the growing threats to investigative journalism, from surveillance powers and the protection of confidential sources to the 2019 Australian Federal Police raids on the ABC and News Corp. Seven years on, it's a compelling reminder of why investigative journalism matters — and the extraordinary stories that might otherwise remain untold. We’d love to hear from you. Email us at fourthestate@2ser.com or follow us at @fourthestateau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  5. Oct 1

    Trump’s Press War, What Canberra Could Learn & Remembering Peter Manning

    Donald Trump’s latest battle with the press has seen his White House move to exclude CNN, POLITICO and MS NOW — but this time, rival news organisations are standing together. What could Australia’s media learn from that show of solidarity? Susan Glasser, staff writer at The New Yorker and former editor of POLITICO, and former ABC Editorial Director Alan Sunderland join Tina Quinn to examine press freedom, political access and what happens when governments decide which journalists get into the room. Then, The Australia Institute's Amy Remeikis takes us inside the Canberra Press Gallery — from political “drops” and strings-attached exclusives to whether Australian journalists need to get better at standing together when one of their own is shut out. And we remember one of the giants of Australian journalism, Peter Manning, who died this week aged 81. Former Media Watch host Jonathan Holmes and journalist Jan Fran reflect on the legendary Four Corners executive producer, ABC news leader and mentor who backed generations of journalists to hold power to account. Want to get in touch? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at fourthestate@2ser.com or follow us @fourthestateau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  6. Sep 24

    George Megalogenis on the Political Class, Migration and a Changing Australia

    Australia has changed — but have our politics and media kept up? In his new book Three Shocks: Who We Are Becoming in the 21st Century, journalist and author George Megalogenis charts the demographic, economic and geopolitical forces reshaping the country. Tina Quinn speaks with George about the widening disconnect between Australia and its political class, the media’s enduring obsession with an outdated idea of the “Australian voter”, the resurgence of One Nation and the increasingly fraught debate over migration and housing. They also examine what happens when journalism is no longer the curator of political debate — and an online attention economy increasingly rewards the loudest and most extreme voices. Want to get in touch? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at ⁠fourthestate@2ser.com⁠ or follow us ⁠@fourthestateau⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  7. Sep 20

    One From the Archives: Violence, Virality and the Media

    How should journalists report domestic violence — and what happens when allegations of abuse become content? In this edition of Fourth Estate: One From the Archives, Tina Quinn revisits a 2022 conversation recorded in the aftermath of the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial, when allegations of domestic violence became the subject of an extraordinary global media and social media spectacle. Journalists Lin Evlin and Helen Pitt examine the media’s reporting of the case, the ethics of covering violence against women, victim-blaming and sensationalism, and the responsibility journalists have when reporting domestic and family violence. Four years on, amid renewed scrutiny of the Depp–Heard case and the online campaign surrounding it, the questions raised in this conversation remain as urgent as ever. Want to get in touch? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at ⁠fourthestate@2ser.com⁠ or follow us ⁠@fourthestateau⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  8. Sep 10

    9/11 at 25: Reflections from the Newsdesk, Dispatches from Ground Zero

    Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, Fourth Estate returns to the newsrooms and streets where history unfolded in real time. Sandra Sully joins Tina Quinn to reflect on the extraordinary night she became the first Australian journalist to break the news, anchoring live from Network 10 as the scale of the attacks became clear. Former Fourth Estate host Prue Clarke recalls reporting from Ground Zero as a young Financial Times reporter in New York. Then, we examine what happened to journalism in the aftermath: the jingoism that swept through American newsrooms, the treatment of Muslim communities, and the discredited Weapons-of-Mass-Destruction reporting that helped pave the road to war in Iraq — with archival reflections from former New York Times editor Andrew Rosenthal and NBC News journalist Doha Madani. Recommended Links: New Narratives 9-11 and the Liberal Media's Dark Legacy, Fourth Estate Want to get in touch? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at fourthestate@2ser.com or follow us @fourthestateau. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Every week, we discuss how the media has covered the news and analyse issues affecting the industry - with some of the biggest names in journalism in Australia and around the world. Broadcast live on Sydney's 2SER 107.3FM, with the financial assistance of the Community Broadcasting Foundation.

Information

  • Creator
    2SER
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    400
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved

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