The ABC's secretive axing of Stateline, could signal that ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks wants shorter news stories

ABC management has announced that its proposal to axe its stand-alone Indigenous TV department will go back to the drawing board.

The Israel lobby declares a new push to guide ABC journalists on how they report, and the Royal Commission holds closed-door meetings on the arts.

The move comes following an outcry within the ABC, and among the entertainment industry more generally.

The ABC has scrapped a key Indigenous leadership role, and cancelled an Indigenous-led TV series that it previously promoted as a flagship program.

On Monday night, _Media Watch_ broke another story on the continuing saga of Mahmood Fazal, the _Four Corners_ reporter fired earlier this year who is facing a series of allegations about his reporting and use of confidential and anonymised sources. This story was about another source of Fazal’s, identified in his reporting as ‘Remy’. Media Watch revealed her true identity and featured a video from social media, in which she had distanced herself from her appearance on _Four Corners_ and alleged Fazal had put her up to playing a role. “He [Fazal] knew I could play the part and look the part,” she said in the video _Media Watch_ aired. But in the latest twist in the saga, she has also turned on _Media Watch_ itself. On Thursday, she posted a series of Instagram stories, accusing the program of damaging her reputation and career opportunities by prominently identifying her with the masked figure in the _Four Corners_ episode. She says she has now lodged a formal complaint about the episode to the ABC Ombudsman. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

When the exit of Jo Puccini from the ABC was announced on Thursday afternoon, in sections of the ABC it felt like a funeral. It was not just the exit of a colleague, but for some it was the death of a culture that has defined investigative journalism at the ABC for over a decade. For the last few weeks, as stories about _Four Corners_ continued to emerge in the press, some had speculated and gossiped that Puccini could go. That speculation only grew when senior sources at the ABC briefed against Puccini in _The Australian_ , saying she was “in the firing line”. Everyone knew she was the last senior editorial leader clinging on, after what has become a clear-out of an entire generation of senior ABC News bosses. But many refused to even say the words aloud, ‘Could Jo go?’. To those outside the ABC, Puccini may not appear to be the most significant head to roll. Officially, she had been the Head of Investigations and Current Affairs for four short years, overseeing the ABC’s most important journalism at _Four Corners_ , _7.30_ , _Background Briefing_ and the Investigative Reporting Team. But to those inside the ABC, Puccini represented far more than a job title. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

Jo Puccini had worked at the ABC for 25 years and was one of the news divisions longest-serving and most senior leaders.

Yasmine Johnson is a Jewish student who gave evidence at the Royal Commission on behalf of Students for Palestine. In an interview with Lamestream, she explains why she took part and what the process ...

Jillian Segal wants a new body to vet journalism. If she had submitted her evidence in front of the Royal Commission as an article to a newsdesk, it wouldn’t pass fact-check.

Podcast Episode · Lamestream · 21 June · 1hr

The attacks, at a level previously unknown, began near the start of the war and went on for weeks.

__Tickets to our live shows featuring guests like Ben Lee, Tony Armstrong, Grace Tame, and more are__ on sale now__.__ Charlie Pickering doesn’t owe the ABC everything, but he does owe it _a lot_. His first regular media gig was as host of Triple J’s _Drive_ program back in 2001, a position he landed after being invited by Wil Anderson to do guest spots on _Breakfast_. After stints in commercial media, including on the Comedy Channel and Channel V, as well as co-hosting _The Project_ for five years, he returned to the ABC to host _The Weekly_ , a satirical news program that has run for the past 11 years. As well as that, he co-hosted another ABC TV program _Tomorrow Tonight_ , hosted ABC Melbourne’s _Breakfast_ show on Fridays in 2023, took over hosting Richard Glover’s _Thank God It’s Friday_ show __ on ABC Sydney, and just last month was announced as the new host of _Drive_ on ABC Melbourne. The public broadcaster has showered him with gigs, including his continued hosting of the ABC’s last remaining satirical news show, which has outlasted Shaun Micallef’s _Mad As Hell_ and Tom Ballard’s _Tonightly_. He’s in an extremely rare, lucky and privileged position. That is why his decision to publicly criticise the broadcaster for working with former Australian of the Year Grace Tame – a decision that has provided the ABC’s powerful enemies with fresh ammunition to use against the broadcaster – has left so many of his colleagues bewildered and disdainful. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

The media is taking it at Israel's word that Ben-Gvir is an outlier, not the norm. Lamestream can reveal that on at least one occasion, points to the contrary were edited out of reports.

### The ABC says 8 Million Australians are reliant on income support!? The ABC has reported that a shocking number of people are “reliant” on income support – but after speaking to _Lamestream,_ the author of the study, is distancing himself from the central claim of the ABC’s story. “The number of people accessing income support payments has risen by 2 million, with more Australians unable to work due to deteriorating mental and physical health,” read the ABC News story this week. The reported 8.3 million people would be an enormous number of Australians unable to work. There’s just shy of 15 million employed people in the whole of Australia, so once you take out children, the elderly – where are all these unproductive souls fitting into Australia’s population? Unemployment and welfare activist Tom Studans was the first to spot the problem: the entire story was based on a study that included sick leave that all workers are entitled to as a form of “income support” – fully 7.5 million of the 8.3 million people this study is talking about. That’s right, the vast majority of people the ABC called “reliant on income support” and “unable to work”, are actually gainfully employed and took some sick days. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

### Should journalists post selfies with the Prime Minister? On Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dropped into the _The Daily Aus_ ’ offices to record a podcast – becoming the first guest to sit down in the youth brand’s new studio. The promotional rollout for the interview was very on-brand, with a cute video taking young Australians into the fascinating experience of what it’s like to be the Associate Producer who has to go downstairs, let the politician in and guide them to where they need to be. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

Evelyn Araluen is an award-winning writer published by UQP. Her most recent book, _The Rot,_ won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award this year and is short-listed for The Stella Prize. After Lamestream broke the news that the University of Queensland Press had cancelled the publication of a children’s book, _Bila, a river cycle_ , written by Jazz Money and illustrated by Matt Chun, citing the University's controversial new anti-Semitism policy, Araluen announced she was leaving the publisher. This is her termination email in full: * * * _Dear XXXXXXXX,_ ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

The book's author has described the decision to pulp all 5,000 copies of the book as reckless and disrespectful, and says it "sets a chilling standard".

In this week's column, Os and Scott dive into how the mainstream media gave a massive plug to a far-right podcast and break down the dramatic twist in ABC pay negotiations.

Podcast Episode · Lamestream · 15 April · 1hr 26min

The myth of Australia’s powerlessness to stop the war hasn’t come from nowhere. It has been deliberately cultivated.