Fourth Estate
Every week, Fourth Estate discusses how the media has covered the news and analyses issues affecting the industry, featuring some of the biggest names in journalism in Australia and around the world. The podcast is broadcast live on Sydney's 2SER 107.3FM, with financial assistance from the Community Broadcasting Foundation.
Episodes
The Wages Are a Scandal: When Sex Work Pays for Journalism
What happens when sex work pays better than journalism?
After being made redundant from his job in the media, investigative journalist Bension Siebert began working as a sex worker — and discovered he could earn in five hours what he made in his best-paid week as a journalist.
But rather than leaving journalism behind, Siebert is now using sex work to fund his own investigative reporting.
This
Profile: In Conversation with Caroline Baum (Part 3)
Walking away from Between the Lines in 1997 meant leaving behind what Caroline Baum considered the high point of her career. But her story was far from over.
In the third and final part of our special Fourth Estate profile, we pick up with Caroline back at the ABC, where a hoped-for return to the national broadcaster as Executive Producer of Radio National’s Arts Today instead became another diff
Profile: In Conversation with Caroline Baum (Part 2)
In part one of our special profile series, Caroline Baum took us from her unconventional London childhood to the offices of British Vogue, the BBC and eventually Australia—before jumping ahead to reveal publicly for the first time why she walked away from her dream job at the ABC's Between the Lines.
Now, we turn the clock back.
By the late 1980s, Baum was beginning to make her mark on Australia
Profile: In Conversation with Caroline Baum (Part 1)
When Caroline Baum walked through the doors of British Vogue as a young editorial assistant in the mid-1970s, London was at the centre of the fashion, literary and cultural worlds. It was there she encountered some of the era's biggest names—from photographer Helmut Newton to Antony Armstrong-Jones, the Earl of Snowdon—while discovering both the craft of storytelling that would define her career a
AI, Nepo Babies & Barking Barnaby
Hannah Ferguson (Cheek Media), Scott Mitchell (Lamestream Media) and Daanyal Saeed (Crikey) join Tina Quinn to unpack another big week in Australian media.
This week, the panel examines the future of journalism in the age of artificial intelligence following the Andrew Olle Media Lecture, where Reuters editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni argued AI companies should pay for the journalism that power
The Final Chapter of Virginia Giuffre | Remembering Derryn Hinch
After surviving Jeffrey Epstein and helping expose one of the biggest sexual abuse scandals in modern history, Virginia Giuffre became a global symbol of courage. But her story didn't end there.
Award-winning Good Weekend senior writer Melissa Fyfe joins Fourth Estate to discuss her extraordinary investigation into the final months of Giuffre's life — examining allegations of domestic violence, c
The Week in Media: Royal Commissions, Big Tech & THAT Podcast
This week on Fourth Estate, we unpack the biggest stories shaping Australian media, politics and journalism.
As the Royal Commission into Antisemitism turns its attention to the media, we examine the recommendations aimed at the ABC and SBS, including calls for greater oversight and more "positive" coverage of Israel. What could this mean for editorial independence, public trust and press freedom
The Free Speech and Free Fall of Karl Stefanovic
Karl Stefanovic's dramatic exit from Nine has become one of the biggest Australian media stories of the year. But is this simply the downfall of a television star, or a sign that the media landscape itself is changing?
After his podcast interview with far-right activist Tommy Robinson sparked widespread backlash, Nine ended its three-decade relationship with one of its biggest names. Now, as Stef
Profile: In Conversation with Barrie Cassidy (Part 2)
After serving as Prime Minister Bob Hawke's press secretary, Barrie Cassidy returned to journalism with a new perspective on politics and power.
Following several years as a correspondent based in the United States with The Australian, an unexpected approach from Network Ten persuaded him to return to Australia to host Meet the Press.
In Part Two of our special profile series, Barrie reflects on
Please Explain: Pauline Hanson, One Nation and the Media's 30-Year Dilemma
Thirty years ago, Pauline Hanson exposed a fault line in Australian politics that never really went away.
This week, following Hanson's first National Press Club address and amid signs One Nation is enjoying its strongest political moment in years, Fourth Estate asks what the media got right, what it got wrong, and whether we've ever truly understood the Australia that keeps bringing Hanson back.
Profile: In Conversation with Barrie Cassidy (Part 1)
When Barrie Cassidy arrived in Canberra in 1979, Malcolm Fraser was Prime Minister, the political shockwaves of the 1975 dismissal were still reverberating through Australian politics, and Fraser was already fending off the leadership ambitions of a rising Andrew Peacock.
The press gallery was smaller, the media landscape less fragmented, and for a young reporter who had discovered a passion for
The Stories We Tell Ourselves: China, America and Australian Self-Reliance
For decades, China was seen in Australia as an opportunity. Today, it's more often described as a threat.
But how much of Australia's understanding of China reflects reality — and how much is shaped by the stories we tell ourselves?
As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks of an "ideological disagreement" with the United States, and as global tensions expose vulnerabilities in supply chains and
Sarah Wilson on Complexity, Collapse and Making Art in the Apocalypse
Sarah Wilson has lived through almost every era of modern media — from becoming a newspaper columnist in her early 20s, to editing Cosmopolitan magazine and hosting MasterChef Australia, writing bestselling books, podcasting and independent publishing.
But in recent years, her focus has shifted toward much bigger questions: how do we live meaningfully in an age of ecological crisis, political ins
One From the Archives: Sophie McNeill and We Can't Say We Didn't Know
As the war in Gaza continues — and journalists covering the conflict are being killed at unprecedented rates — we return to the Fourth Estate archives for a conversation that now feels more urgent than ever.
In this 2020 interview, former ABC Middle East correspondent Sophie McNeill joins then-Fourth Estate host Sharon Davis to discuss McNeill’s book We Can’t Say We Didn’t Know: Dispatches From A
Red Scares: The Budget and the Backlash
From accusations of “broken promises” to cries of socialism, class warfare and even communism, the media reaction to the Albanese Government’s federal budget has been fierce.
But how radical are the reforms actually being proposed?
This week, Tina Quinn examines the political and media framing surrounding the budget — from the rhetoric around debt, aspiration and intergenerational burden, to the
Blunt Tools: Rate Rises and Media Tropes
Are we asking enough questions about the way Australia manages inflation, and the way the media reports on it?
Every Reserve Bank decision is treated like a national event. Interest rates rise, borrowers brace, and economists debate whether inflation expectations remain “anchored”. But has economic journalism become too narrowly framed around the logic of the Reserve Bank? And are governments esc
A Woman Who Won: Antoinette Lattouf on Taking on the ABC — and Winning
In December 2023, Australia’s national broadcaster made the decision to dismiss one of its radio presenters, claiming she had brought the Australian Broadcasting Corporation into disrepute after sharing a social media post from Human Rights Watch highlighting atrocities in Gaza.
Within hours, The Australian had reported on her removal. But it was her decision to challenge the dismissal in court t
2SER on the Brink and Remembering James Valentine
Community radio station 2SER could be off the air within months, after the withdrawal of long-standing university funding.
In this episode of Fourth Estate, we examine how the station reached this point — from the timeline of key decisions to growing concerns from staff, volunteers and alumni about transparency and leadership.
Former 2SER Program Director and Fourth Estate host Anthony Dockrill
Ben Roberts-Smith: How Journalism Took on a War Hero
This week, one of Australia’s most decorated soldiers, Ben Roberts-Smith, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of war crime murder.
The charges follow years of investigative reporting by journalists at The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald — and a landmark defamation case that tested that reporting in court.
In this episode of Fourth Estate, Tina Quinn speaks with two of the journalists
Dispatches from the Picket Line: Behind the ABC Strike
More than 2,000 ABC staff walked off the job in the broadcaster’s first strike in 20 years.
While the dispute centred on pay, progression and job security, it also exposed deeper concerns about culture, leadership and editorial independence.
In this episode of Fourth Estate, Tina Quinn speaks with current and former ABC journalists, including Michael Slezak, Fran Kelly, Quentin Dempster, Emma Fi
Profile: In Conversation with Virginia Trioli (Part 2)
"She seems unaware of just how inexperienced she is," was how one media commentator described Virginia Trioli when she first took her place behind the microphone of the Drive program on 774 ABC Radio Melbourne.
She had by that point more than a decade of experience as a journalist — but was still relatively new to the art of broadcasting.
But Trioli was a quick study, and in the 25 years that fo
Profile: In Conversation with Virginia Trioli (Part 1)
When Virginia Trioli stepped onto the floor of "this horrible soviet-style building" that was The Age newsroom as a young cadet journalist in 1990, she knew she’d found her place — despite the building doing its best to suggest otherwise.
What followed was a career that quickly established her as a formidable voice in print, including the publication of her seminal feminist manifesto, Generation
Where It All Went Wrong: Amy Remeikis on John Howard
For eleven years, John Howard dominated Australian politics, winning four elections and reshaping the country’s political and economic direction.
To many supporters, he remains the careful economic manager with a plain-spoken style and an instinctive connection to suburban voters. But in her new book Where It All Went Wrong: The Case Against John Howard, journalist and political commentator Amy R
Fourth Estate Live: The Women Who Shaped the News
Fourth Estate goes live for this special International Women’s Day edition, as host Tina Quinn revisits some of the remarkable women who helped reshape Australian journalism.
Featuring archival interviews with Margaret Throsby, Liz Hayes, Maxine McKew, Bridget Brennan, Laura Tingle and more, the program reflects on the barriers women faced in the newsroom, and the legacy they’ve left for the gene
The Absence of Nuance in Iran Coverage and a Breakfast Radio Bust-Up
The United States and Israel have launched a joint military operation against Iran, killing the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and dramatically escalating tensions across the Middle East.
But as the conflict unfolds, it is also exposing deep divisions within the Iranian community and its wider diaspora, and whether the media is capturing the complexity of those voices.
Host Ti
One From the Archives: Azadeh Moaveni on Iran and the Plight of “ISIS Brides”
In the wake of US and Israeli strikes on Iran, and Tehran’s retaliatory missile attacks across the region, we return to the Fourth Estate archives.
In this 2020 conversation, Iranian-American journalist, writer and academic Azadeh Moaveni joins then-host, Sharon Davies talking to the dangers of reporting from Iran and her book, Guest House for Young Widows, examining the young women from Europe a
Marty Baron on the Gutting of The Washington Post
Once a beacon of groundbreaking American journalism, the masthead that helped expose Watergate and held presidents to account is now undergoing sweeping cuts that have shaken its newsroom.
More than 300 journalists have been laid off at The Washington Post, foreign correspondents, climate reporters, local staff, entire desks dismantled.
For many inside the newsroom, it wasn’t just the scale of t
Force and Fallout: The Herzog Visit
Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia was framed as routine diplomacy by political leaders and much of the press. But outside the official engagements, thousands protested — and in Sydney, violent clashes between demonstrators and police were captured on camera.
Footage showed officers punching and capsicum-spraying protesters, including an 18-year-old pinned to the ground and struc
Terrorism, Epstein and Other Fault Lines in Media-land
This week on Fourth Estate, we examine how the media covered the biggest stories of the week, from the attempted bombing at an Invasion Day rally in Perth, now declared a terrorist act, to the latest document dump linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
We also look at the shifts happening within the media itself, as Nine Entertainment sells off its powerful talkback radio stations and the ABC launches a new
Rushed Legislation and a Broken Coalition
A chaotic week in federal politics has left the opposition fractured and raised serious questions about how power is being exercised in Parliament. As the Albanese government rushed landmark hate-speech and extremism legislation through in under 24 hours, warnings about civil liberties, due process and executive overreach were brushed aside. The speed of the laws’ passage split the Coalition, with
The Campaign for a Royal Commission and the Implosion of a Writers’ Festival
In the aftermath of the Bondi massacre, a sustained media and political campaign intensified pressure on the government to establish a royal commission into antisemitism.
Within a day of the Albanese government announcing that one would take place, an invitation to Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah to appear at Adelaide Writers’ Week was rescinded, citing concerns around cultural s
Summer Series: Mike Carlton Talks On Air
In a special summer edition of Fourth Estate, we turn the clock back to December 2018, when broadcaster and journalist Mike Carlton joined then host Peter Fray for a wide-ranging conversation about his newly published memoir, On Air.
The book traces Carlton’s long career across Australian journalism — from print to radio — offering a candid account of life behind the microphone, the shifting cu
Summer Series: In-Conversation With Lisa Millar
In this special Fourth Estate summer re-release, we revisit Tina Quinn's conversation with Australian journalist, Lisa Millar, from September, 2021.
From her years as a foreign correspondent with the ABC, first in Washington, then later on in London, to co-hosting News Breakfast, Millar reflects on an incredible three decades in journalism.
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Erosion: Press Freedom In The Trump Era
How is press freedom being tested in the Trump era?
In this episode of Fourth Estate, Tina Quinn is joined by Media Correspondent with NPR, David Folkenflik and Chief Political Correspondent for The Washington Post, Karen Tumulty, examining the growing pressure on journalists in the United States.
They discuss Trump’s personal attacks on reporters, lawsuits against major networks, access restric
When Tragedy Is Weaponised: The Media And Bondi
After the mass shooting at Bondi, Australia became a global headline, and a case study in how tragedy is rapidly politicised.
Before facts were established, misinformation surged, racial vilification followed, and political narratives hardened. Jewish, Middle Eastern, Arabic and Muslim communities were unfairly targeted, while debates over gun laws, antisemitism and national security were pulled
Virginia Haussegger On The Unfinished Revolution In Australia's Media
Journalist, author and feminist thinker Virginia Haussegger joins Tina Quinn to examine why the feminist revolution — inside Australia’s media and beyond — remains unfinished.
Drawing on her latest book, Unfinished Revolution: The Feminist Fightback, Haussegger traces the long arc of sexism, backlash and resistance — from the media mockery of feminism during International Women’s Year in 1975, th
Profile: In Conversation With Liz Hayes (Part 2)
After ten years co-hosting The Today Show, Liz Hayes made a decision that would reshape her life — she walked away from the top breakfast-television gig in the country.
In this second part of this conversation with Tina Quinn, Liz shares the personal turmoil that led her to professional triumphs at 60 Minutes, and the extraordinary assignments that took her from the war in Afghanistan, to the em
Profile: In Conversation With Liz Hayes (Part 1)
Liz Hayes is one of Australia’s most trusted and enduring journalists — but her story begins far from the studio lights.
In this first part of our profile, Liz joins Tina Quinn in-studio to reflect on her upbringing on the Mid North Coast, where she started out as a cadet reporter, and her rapid rise through the newsrooms of Network Ten and Channel Nine.
She talks about her decade at the helm of
Empire of the Elite: Condé Nast’s Reign and Reinvention
For more than a century, Condé Nast defined taste, power, and aspiration. From Vogue and Vanity Fair to The New Yorker and GQ, its magazines didn’t just chronicle culture — they shaped it.
In this episode, Tina Quinn speaks with media correspondent for The New York Times, Michael M. Grynbaum, author of Empire Of The Elite, about how the company built an empire of influence — and how that power ha
What Remains: Surviving Gaza, Speaking Truth
Just weeks ago, Palestinian media worker Samer Tarazi was struggling for survival amid the devastation of Gaza. Now safe in Sydney, he reflects on what he witnessed — the destruction of his city, the loss of his journalist colleagues, and the ongoing toll of a conflict that continues to test the world’s conscience.
As news breaks of a “ceasefire” — hailed by some as a breakthrough and dismissed b
Inside The Room: Fourth Estate At Women in Media 2025
From the main stage at Sydney’s ICC, Women In Media's national conference brought together some of the sharpest voices in journalism and storytelling — Claudia Karvan, Hanna Rosin, Libbi Gorr, Hannah Ferguson, and Monica Attard among them.
Join Tina Quinn as she dives into the standout moments and voices from the day, unpacking the ideas, debates and powerful moments that emerged.
To find ou
Profile: In Conversation With Anna Funder (Part 2)
When Stasiland was first published in 2003, it became an international sensation — winning the UK’s top non-fiction prize and propelling Anna Funder onto the world stage.
In part two of this conversation with Tina Quinn, Anna reflects on the book’s extraordinary acclaim, and how her distinctive approach to truth-telling shaped her later works, All That I Am, The Girl with the Dogs, and Wifedom.
Profile: In Conversation With Anna Funder (Part 1)
She may not call herself a journalist, but Anna Funder’s work is a fearless meditation on truth, and a masterclass in pushing the boundaries of genre to capture it.
Her writing tackles the great arcs of 20th-century history, from the totalitarian state of East Germany, to the rise of Nazism, to the shackles of patriarchy, always through the lives of real people whose courage, resilience, and quie
One From The Archives: 9/11 And The Liberal Media's Dark Legacy
As we mark 24 years since the September 11 terror attacks, we revisit the Fourth Estate archives with a special episode first broadcast in September 2021 on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Hosted at the time by Prue Clarke — who herself was in New York when the attacks happened — this conversation digs into the media’s role in shaping America’s response, from uncritical reporting that smoothed the
Iran, Nauru And What The Media Missed
Last week, Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador in a move that dominated headlines. But while the media focused on the diplomatic drama, the government quietly introduced legislation that would strip certain migrants of their right to procedural fairness — a story almost entirely buried by the Iran announcement.
Both developments raise serious questions about secrecy, accountability, and double
Profile: In Conversation With Laura Tingle
Laura Tingle is widely regarded as one of Australia’s finest political journalists, with nearly four decades spent in the Canberra Press Gallery covering every government Malcolm Fraser’s to Anthony Albanese’s.
But this year she stunned even the most seasoned observers by announcing her departure as 7.30’s Chief Political Correspondent — leaving Parliament House behind to take on a new role as th
The Unified March Which Divided Australia's Media
A historic moment of civil disobedience took place across the Sydney Harbour Bridge last week, as hundreds of thousands of people came out to demonstrate against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Although some media outlets chose to report on the protest with highly dramatised descriptions, authorities confirmed no arrests were made and the demonstration was largely peaceful.
The following day, Australi
'A Slaughter Not A War': David Leser On The Moral Catastrophe Of Gaza
All eyes are again firmly on Gaza this week as the enclave faces mass starvation that human rights groups and aid organisations have been loudly warning of for months.
Media outlets that seemed to previously play down the plight of Palestinians, and the actions of the Israeli government have flooded their front pages with graphic images of emaciated, disease ridden children, accompanied by headli
Daniel James On Truth-Telling
For generations, First Nations people have called for a truth-telling process — a way to formally acknowledge the harm caused by colonisation and ongoing injustice.
In Victoria, that process has taken historic form through the Yoorrook Justice Commission — the first truth-telling inquiry of its kind in Australia.
Over a number of years, the commission heard thousands of testimonies, exposing th
Jan Fran On Speaking Truth To (Media) Power
Journalist, author and television presenter, Jan Fran joins Tina Quinn in studio to talk the launch of Ette Media, a new independent venture she's co-founded with fellow journalist, Antoinette Lattouf.
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The Unlawful Sacking Of Antoinette Lattouf
What began as just five casual shifts behind the microphone has escalated into one of the most high-profile legal battles in Australian media.
In 2023, Antoinette Lattouf was dropped as a fill-in presenter on ABC Radio Sydney after she shared a Human Rights Watch post about the Israel-Gaza conflict, which claimed Israel had used starvation as a "weapon of war."
Lattouf took the national broadca
One From The Archives: Can The Media Do Better On Palestine?
We turn the clock back this week and revisit former Fourth Estate host, Monica Attard's conversation with Sophie McNeil, previously the ABC's Middle East Correspondent, and Hugh Riminton, National Affairs Editor for 10 News First.
This episode originally aired in May 2021, during what became known as the Israel-Palestine crisis.
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Lindsey Hilsum On The West's Warning Shots To Israel
As the latest uprising of violence in Gaza surpasses 600 days, the government of Israel is facing unprecedented condemnation from its Western allies.
France, the United Kingdom, and Canada have provided the most surprising about-face, with many other countries echoing sentiments of "disgrace" over the Netanyahu government's actions.
But many critics say it's a case of too little, too late.
So what
Election 2025: A Post-Mortem
In what turned out to be a much more definitive result than most pundits were expecting, the Labor government of Anthony Albanese has been returned to office for a second term with an increased majority.
Meanwhile, the Coalition suffered devastating losses across the board, and lost the head of their party in Peter Dutton.
Why did the Coalition lose so spectacularly? How did the Albanese Governm
Election 2025: The Final Stretch
After what's been a largely uneventful election campaign, Australian's are only days away from heading to the ballot box, and analysts are predicting the result could bring some surprises yet.
So, will Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor party be returned to government?
Or will Peter Dutton and the Coalition defy the polls and make a largely unprecedented comeback?
And what how will
Election 2025: Dutton Falters As Albo Obfuscates
Australia is three weeks into the 2025 federal election cycle, and this time around the issues dominating the agenda have been as wide-ranging as housing, energy prices, climate change and somehow even, American President Donald Trump.
But as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's campaign falters captures the media's attention, is Prime Minister Anthony Albanese enjoying a smoother ride than he otherw
A Tale Of Two Cities: Reporting From Gaza Vs Jerusalem
As the as the so-called ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has collapsed, the official death toll in the region has surpassed 50,000, although experts warn the real number is much higher.
Of those many thousands who have perished are hundreds of journalists who have been killed in Gaza while simply reporting on the conflict.
This last week brought shocking footage of a media tent being bombed, w
Election 2025: The Horse Race Begins
After what seemed like an interminably long lead-up, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has finally called the election for May 3 - ending weeks of speculation about when Australians will head to the polls.
The date was seemingly ‘leaked’ an hour before Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton was due to hand down his much anticipated budget speech, catching the Liberals on the back foot and no doubt setting
Is Anti-Semitism Being Weaponised?
As Fourth Estate returns this week, we examine whether the issue of anti-Semitism is being weaponised by both our media and political class.
Joining Tina Quinn to discuss is investigative journalist Antony Loewenstein, Crikey's Rachel Withers and The Sydney Morning Herald's Max Maddison.
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One From The Archives: Lynne O'Donnell On Being Kidnapped By The Taliban
This week we turn back the clock to Tina Quinn's conversation with foreign correspondent, Lynne O'Donnell.
Lynne has spent close to 30 years covering terrorism, conflict and war across Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
In 2022, Lynne herself made headlines around the world, when she was detained by Taliban intelligence agents in Afghan capital of Kabul, forced to retract some of her articl
One From The Archives: In Conversation With Geoffrey Robertson
This week we step back into the archives to Tina Quinn's conversation with famed human rights lawyer, author and broadcaster, Geoffrey Robertson.
The year was 2021. Scott Morrison was still prime minister of Australia, it was the early days of the Biden presidency, before Russia’s war with Ukraine, and this most recent conflict in the Middle East.
Julian Assange was still fighting off extradition
Eric Beecher On The Men Who Killed The News
Crikey’s proprietor Eric Beecher, is a rare combination of journalist, media owner and idealist.
“A media mongrel”, he says his friends call him, at 33 he became the youngest-ever editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, but was wooed away by the most consequential press mogul’s of the modern age, Rupert Murdoch.
But as he tells Tina Quinn, it was a short-lived tryst.
He joins Fourth Estate this wee
From One Macdonald To Another: The Changes Afoot At ABC Radio
After close to two months of speculation, Hamish Macdonald, the former Q+A host and current Radio National and The Project presenter has been confirmed as the new Mornings host on ABC Radio Sydney.
Macdonald replaces Sarah Macdonald, who announced on air only days after being told that her contract would not be renewed, prompting public outcry from her very loyal listenership.
It comes amidst conc
One From The Archives: The Misogyny Speech A Decade On
This week we dip back into the Fourth Estate archives to Tina Quinn's 2022 discussion with Samantha Maiden and Jess Hill, reflecting on the ten year anniversary of the famous and historic 'misogyny speech', delivered by Australia's then Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
While many seemed to miss the gravity of the moment in the immediate aftermath, and dismissed the speech as a misstep by a then embat
Profile: In Conversation With David Marr (Part 2)
David Marr was 33 years old when he was appointed editor of the National Times, but his tenure was short lived.
He was spectacularly sacked within two years, but his unmatched prose would see him become an internationally renowned biographer, and an award winning journalist for his coverage of the deaths of Aboriginals in custody for the ABC's Four Corners program.
In part two of his conversation
Profile: In Conversation With David Marr (Part 1)
David Marr’s extraordinary career as a journalist, broadcaster and biographer, has seen him write about the most interesting and controversial people in Australian history.
From Kevin Rudd and George Pell to John Howard and Bill Henson, his work he says has been about trying to explain the "contradictions" of his subjects.
As part of our ongoing series of profiles, David joined Tina Quinn in studi
The End Of Forever In Syria
The world's media has brought us spectacular images out of Syria this week, as the brutal dictatorship of the country's President Bashar al-Assad crumbled this week, in a moment being compared to the fall of the Berlin Wall, and one which promises to reshape the landscape of power in the Middle East.
Joining Tina Quinn to discuss this seismic moment:
Lyse Doucet, the BBC's Chief International Corr
Profile: In Conversation With Maxine McKew
When Maxine McKew first entered the world of journalism in 1974, her home state of Queensland was ruled by the “oppressive” government of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, where police corruption was rife and the media was largely stifled.
She rose through the ranks of the ABC on programs like This Day Tonight, Nationwide and The Carleton-Walsh Report, and became the first woman appointed as the public bro
George Megalogenis On The New Politics Of Australia
As Australia prepares for a forthcoming election year, predictions are coming left, right and center as to what way it might go.
Journalist and author, George Megalogenis thinks we could be looking at a minority government as the changing politics of Australia continues to take shape.
But who will hold the balance of power, why has the electoral map continued to change, and how is our own fourth e
The Whole Town's Talking About The Jones Boy
For close to forty years, Alan Jones, inspired adoration from his passionate listeners, and both fear and loathing from the politicians whose public popularity he could make or break.
This week, Child Abuse Squad detectives arrived at the luxury home of the 83 year old to arrest him, charging him with 26 offences, involving nine victims.
His arrest is the latest chapter in the downfall of one of A
One From The Archives: In Conversation With Geraldine Doogue
This week we dip back into the Fourth Estate archives and revisit Tina Quinn’s interview with ABC broadcaster, Geraldine Doogue.
This interview was originally broadcast in December of 2020.
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America Elects First Felon President
In what was an incredibly decisive vote from the US electorate, following an incredibly divisive election, Donald J Trump will return to the White House in January, becoming the 47th President of the United States.
Had she been elected, Vice President Kamala Harris would have made history as the country's first female President, but American voters decided on a different precedent.
Joining Tina Qu
Remembering George Negus
George Negus cut an iconic figure in the Australian media industry. One of the original stars of 60 Minutes when it was first established in Australia, he redefined the medium of television journalism.
His multi-decade career saw him go head to head with world leaders like Margaret Thatcher, Muammar Gaddafi and Australia's own Bob Hawke.
He brought stories from all four corners of the globe home t
Reflections On A Referendum: A Year On From The Voice
A year on from last year's referendum, and the deep divisions laid bare during its bitter campaign remain. With minimal progress made on Indigenous affairs, the path ahead for Australia's First Nations communities looks increasingly bleak. Daniel James and Clare Armstrong join Tina Quinn to discuss the difficult conversations the media is still failing to navigate.
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Violent War, Passive Voice
A year on from the beginning of what has become the deadliest uprising of violence between Israel and Palestine that we've ever seen, this week we turn our eye on the language often used by the media when reporting on this conflict.
Joining host, Tina Quinn to discuss is the ABC's Paul Barry, and Al Jazeera's, Meenakshi Ravi.
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Profile: In Conversation With Jeff McMullen (Part 2)
The Watergate scandal was already unfolding when Jeff McMullen arrived in the United States in 1972, having just been appointed as the ABC's New York Correspondent.
He would spend the next decade filing compelling stories for Four Corners on the turmoil surrounding nuclear waste, uranium mining and the plight of the Native Americans.
During his years covering the Reagan White House, Jeff made the
Profile: In Conversation With Jeff McMullen (Part 1)
Within 12 months of joining the ABC in 1966, 18 year old Jeff McMullen took his very first posting as a Foreign Correspondent to Papua New Guinea.
It was the beginning of a multi-decade career, which would see him cover the Watergate scandal in the United States, the coup in Chile, the famine in Eritrea and the genocide in Guatemala.
As part of our ongoing series of profiles, Jeff joined Tina Qu
One From The Archives: Six Decades Of Four Corners
This week we again dip back into the Fourth Estate archives, to August of 2021, when Tina Quinn assembled journalists Jeff McMullen, Chris Masters and Morag Ramsay to commemorate the 60th birthday, Four Corners.
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Nine's Axe Swings, As Mass Exodus Begins
The first round of voluntary redundancies from Nine Entertainment have been announced, with 85 journalists at what was once the Fairfax papers, packing their bags.
But could the supposed bloodletting lead to a worsening prognosis for Australia's largest media company?
Journalists Jonathan Green, Kerry-Anne Walsh and Scott Mitchell join Tina Quinn to discuss.
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Commercial Television: The Industry That #MeToo Forgot
Its been more bad news this week for the already embattled Seven Network, with Four Corners airing a searing expose into the commercial broadcaster's workplace culture.
The picture painted was one of bullying, harassment and misogyny.
Four Corners Investigative Reporter, Louise Milligan joined Tina Quinn and Virginia Haussegger, who herself navigated a multi-decade career in television news and cu
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