In this episode, we explore the extraordinary hypocrisy behind the National Press Club’s cancellation of Chris Hedges – a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and one of the world’s most respected war correspondents – who was scheduled to speak in Canberra about the moral collapse of journalism and the genocide in Gaza. The Club, which claims to be the home of free speech and fearless journalism, pulled the plug on Hedges’ address, claiming it was “for balance”. But was it really about balance – or about silencing criticism of media complicity and protecting powerful corporate sponsors like Raytheon, BAE Systems and Thales, whose weapons and technologies are used in Israel’s assault on Gaza?
We examine how this act of censorship exposes the deep rot within Australia’s mainstream media – institutions that preach press freedom but buckle under pressure when truth threatens their sponsors. Hedges has long argued that Western journalism has been captured by power, profit, and propaganda, and the National Press Club has now proven his point. As over 278 journalists have been killed in Gaza since 2023, the betrayal of Palestinian reporters by their own profession is a moral scandal that can no longer be ignored.
We also look at Triple-0 outage from Optus, which blocked many emergency calls and led to three preventable deaths, exposing a catastrophic breakdown in corporate accountability and public safety. With Communications Minister Anika Wells under fire and the Liberal Party exploiting the tragedy for political gain, we look at what this says about neoliberalism’s failure – when private companies become responsible for essential services and can’t even connect Australians to emergency help.
Finally, we discuss the implosion of the Liberal Party, with Andrew Hastie’s aborted leadership challenge against Sussan Ley, Jacinta Price’s outbursts, and Peter Dutton’s fingerprints all over the mess. The party’s dysfunction continues to deepen, exposing a conservative movement that’s ideologically bankrupt, politically lost, and tearing itself apart.
Song listing:
‘All I Need’, AIR (feat. Beth Hirsch).
‘Ameno’, +eRa+.
‘Sign O’ The Times’, Prince, remix by Michael Saxom.
