Long Reads | How deepfakes, nudes and teen misogyny have changed growing up
This week, Bri Lee investigates tech-assisted gendered abuse by schoolboys against their peers and teachers.
Apr 11, 2025•22 min
Background Briefing
Background Briefing brings you true stories not everyone will want you to hear.
Episodes
Long Read | The church’s disappearing women
Three decades after the first ordinations of women to the Anglican priesthood, women are still struggling to reach leadership — and now the congregation is changing too.
Apr 04, 2025•21 min
05 The Invisible Killer | Did police miss a murder?
A court found that Garry Davis injected three victims with lethal doses of insulin during a 48 hour period. But what if there was another victim? Is it possible police failed to collect crucial evidence to prove someone else had also been killed?
Mar 13, 2025•41 min
04 The Invisible Killer | Under the bed
When reporter Anne Connolly discovers that Garry Davis had a collection of strange items under his bed, it changes the course of her investigation, and raises new fears about the true scale of his crimes.
Mar 04, 2025•35 min
03 The Invisible Killer | Reasonable Doubt
Garry Davis has now been convicted of murdering two residents at SummitCare and attempting to murder a third. But all the evidence against him is circumstantial. Is it possible someone else could have been responsible for the insulin injections?
Feb 21, 2025•42 min
02 The Invisible Killer | 'Who did this?'
Someone injected three residents with lethal doses of insulin at an aged care facility in Newcastle. Now, the race is on to catch the killer. Will the police find the clues they need to catch the culprit before any more deaths occur?
Feb 14, 2025•35 min
01 The Invisible Killer | Doctor’s discovery
When residents start falling ill at a nursing home in Newcastle, the workers don't think much of it. After all, people die in aged care all the time. But then, one eagle-eyed doctor finds something that makes him suspect a killer is on the loose.
Feb 14, 2025•33 min
More to the story... Kathy Jackson’s missing millions
It looked like the Health Services Union might finally be returned millions of dollars owed by the whistleblower turned convicted fraudster, Kathy Jackson. Then, the money went missing again.
Dec 29, 2024•14 min
More to the story... Who controls the Murdoch empire?
Lachlan Murdoch is caught in an ongoing court battle with his siblings to maintain control of the family empire when Rupert Murdoch dies. Now there’s been a judgement.
Dec 29, 2024•12 min
More to the story... Meeting your mum as an adult
After Background Briefing's investigation, Anna was flooded with messages from Korean adoptees all over the world. The overwhelming response prompted her to embark on an emotional journey to South Korea, where she arranged to meet her birth mother for the first time. However, more surprises lay ahead.
Dec 29, 2024•12 min
More to the story... Sex, lies and 'big coconut balls'
When Background Briefing last investigated testosterone salesman Michael Farrelly, he was nowhere to be found. Then, a few weeks ago, came a surprising phone call.
Dec 16, 2024•11 min
More to the Story... My friend, the cop killer
Police and politicians labelled the Wieambilla killers evil terrorists. But what really went on inside their heads?
Dec 16, 2024•15 min
More to the story... Inside a scam factory
Scam baiter Jim Browning recently helped bring down a multinational scam syndicate in Dubai. His next target is a scam with potential links to the Russian mafia.
Dec 16, 2024•8 min
03 Births, Deaths, and Marriages | ‘Horror stories’ from inside the funeral industry
Ani Valatava went to see her sister’s body at a funeral home in suburban Sydney. She could never have prepared for what she saw next. Reporter Gina McKeon investigates what goes on behind the scenes of Australia’s funeral industry, revealing ‘horror stories’ and the families left to pick up the pieces.
Dec 06, 2024•39 min
02 Births, Deaths and Marriages | Facebook's sperm marketplace
When a couple are quoted $13,000 to access a sperm donor through a clinic, they decide to take matters into their own hands. On Facebook, they find a thriving sperm exchange, where they hope they'll have more control over the process. But as reporter Annika Blau discovers, there are pitfalls they didn’t foresee.
Nov 29, 2024•38 min
01 Births, Deaths and Marriages | The Wedding Celebrant
When Becc and Nathan decided to get married, they wanted something intimate — a small ceremony at home with just their closest friends and family. There was just one problem — the celebrant wasn't who he appeared to be.
Nov 22, 2024•29 min
The inconvenient patients
Michelle went to hospital on three occasions, complaining of searing chest pains. She was told to go home and seek therapy for her "anxiety issues". It would not be until months later that she was diagnosed with pericarditis — doctors believe it was caused by the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. She's now one of nearly two thousand people fighting a class action against senior government figures, claiming they were victims of negligence during Australia’s pandemic response....
Nov 15, 2024•38 min
The cop accused of sharing a suspect's explicit video
After a police squad stages a tense siege against a dangerous fugitive, a phone is recovered from the crime scene, carrying vital information. But the detective in charge soon finds himself accused of a serious crime and loses his career over it. For years, he's tried to clear his name. In an exclusive interview with BB, he finally speaks out. His story raises serious concerns about what can go wrong when police investigate police in NSW.
Nov 08, 2024•34 min
03 | Murdoch's Endgame
Will Lachlan Murdoch succeed in brushing his rival siblings aside to command control over the future of his family’s media empire? Or could we be looking at the end of the century-old family dynasty that runs the world's most powerful conservative news organisation?
Oct 25, 2024•33 min
02 | Murdoch's Endgame
For much of his youth, Lachlan Murdoch seemed ambivalent about being next in line to control the family’s global media empire. So why is his father Rupert now fighting a high stakes battle against three of his other children to ensure Lachlan becomes his successor?
Oct 18, 2024•34 min
01 | Murdoch's Endgame
Are we looking at the end of the Murdoch family's global media empire? That's the question journalists Paddy Manning and Alex Mann investigate in this special three-part series. This week, they take you inside the family's inner sanctum and examine why Lachlan, Rupert's chosen successor, may not have always been an obvious choice.
Oct 11, 2024•42 min
Introducing... Murdoch's Endgame
The Murdoch family is locked in a secret court battle.
Oct 09, 2024•1 min
Has dot art spread too far?
Dots are so strongly associated with traditional Aboriginal visual language that Shane gets asked why he doesn’t paint them.
Oct 04, 2024•37 min
'This must be a joke': the homes for sale without owners' knowledge
In a caravan park in central NSW, a group of grey nomads were sold a Utopia - a “home base” to hang up the keys and enjoy “real estate security”. They sunk their life savings into houses in the park, with the ads promising it “couldn’t be sold out from underneath” them. But then, it was.
Sep 27, 2024•40 min
Stop and Search | 04 The Botched Backyard Operation
There are only two witnesses to Brad Balzan's final moments: the two officers who chased him into his backyard. But their accounts of what happened don't match up.
Sep 20, 2024•27 min
Stop and Search | 03 The Numbers Game
As the investigation into Bradley Balzan's death continues, serious questions are raised about how the country’s largest police force uses its search powers.
Sep 13, 2024•35 min
Stop and Search | 02 Last Moments Before Gunshots
Brad Balzan is shot dead in his own backyard after a police encounter goes wrong. In episode two of Stop and Search, a new mini-series by Background Briefing, reporter Paul Farrell asks why was he running away, and why did the officers chase him down?
Sep 06, 2024•28 min
Stop and Search | 01 Where's Brad?
A 20-year-old is chased by four plain-clothes police officers into his western Sydney backyard. But he hasn't committed a crime. He hasn't even done anything wrong. He's shot twice, and then dies. In a special miniseries by Background Briefing, the final moments that led to this tragic incident are pieced together. The reporter is Paul Farrell.
Aug 30, 2024•40 min
Dancing with Bulls
Ruby's barely a teenager, and already she's become a champion bull rider. She's also had eight concussions and multiple brain bleeds. Reporter Tynan King investigates how this extreme sport became her obsession — even as it threatens her life.
Aug 23, 2024•35 min
Finding Jean Nassif
He left a trail of defect-riddled apartment buildings across Sydney and debts exceeding $600m to his creditors. Police have issued a warrant for his arrest. The NSW Premier has even offered to pay for his flight back to Australia. This week, Background Briefing tracks down the notorious and elusive Jean Nassif, who gives his first exclusive sit-down interview since he left Australia more than a year ago.
Aug 16, 2024•36 min