The Yarn is a podcast showcasing work from The Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne. It features original reporting by students, content from The Citizen publication, as well as talks and events held by the Centre.
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Today, we’re sharing a talk from Pulitzer Prize-winning war journalist Chris Hedges, who believes the Western media is complicit in the Gaza genocide. Chris spent two decades covering war zones in places like Iraq, Sarajevo, and Gaza. He’s also the author of more than a dozen books. His most recent is A Genocide Foretold: Reporting on Survival and Resistance in Occupied Palestine . In front of a live audience at the University of Melbourne, he discussed his wide-ranging career, the history of Is...
The Labubu craze might be baffling to some, but their relentless popularity has led to a thriving black market for counterfeits, or “Lafufus”. This week on The Yarn, reporter Ashleigh Wyss explains how these low-quality fakes could be putting kids in danger. Her investigation on this issue was copublished by The Citizen and CHOICE. Show Notes Ashleigh's investigation for CHOICE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
From bread tag collecting to rocket building, the first episode of The Yarn’s Passion Project series delves into the world of immersive hobbies. Across five stories, our reporters investigate interests that blur the line between leisure and purpose, and question why women are treated differently in certain fan communities. This episode features work by Jamille Jayoma, Shaid Sasalu, Aditi Acharla, Jalina Cameron, and Paris Nagorcka. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Pacific newsrooms are in crisis. US funding cuts, the rise of artificial intelligence, and constraints on press freedom are just some of the threats to the region’s journalists. On this week's episode of News Bites, Louisa Lim discusses the future of Pacific media with Solomon Islands journalist Dorothy Wickham and Fijian journalist Shayal Devi. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Who gets to shape the story? That’s what journalist Nour Haydar has been asking in relation to Australian coverage of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. On this week’s episode of The Yarn, we’re sharing her AN Smith lecture from December 2024. It’s a searing critique of the Australian media’s double standards, and its failure to “meet the moment”. Since then, the Gaza health ministry says the death toll of Israel’s campaign has risen to at least 68,000, and a United Nations commission of inquiry has ...
First, Artificial Intelligence took our jobs. Now, it's deciding how we're recruited into the ones that are left. For today's episode, Sarah Jensz discusses her reporting on this new—and barely regulated—industry practice. She also speaks with legal experts, including Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay, who is pushing for urgent reforms to curb algorithmic discrimination. Show Notes: Sarah's reporting for The Citizen See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Thousands of Little Penguins nest along the southwest coast of Victoria, but their colonies are constantly threatened by energy companies pushing to conduct seismic surveys. Fearing these shockwaves could devastate local marine life, citizen scientist Carli Reeve rallied her community to protect them. Her grassroots campaign ultimately forced the plans to be scrapped, if only for now. Our reporter Theoné van der Merwe broke this story for Crikey and The Citizen, and in today's episode, The Yarn ...
Nature is like a time capsule. The cyclical rhythm of healthy ecosystems can outlast entire civilisations. This week on The Yarn, two environmental stories take us back to postwar Germany and prehistoric Australia. We hear how fragile ecosystems have stood the test of time — and what’s at stake if we lose them forever. These audio documentaries were originally produced by Thomas Phillips for Short Cuts, a Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4. Follow the link below to hear more Short Cuts stor...
In the final episode of Distraction, we explore how a well‑timed distraction, often thought of as a mindless time sink, can become tools for mindfulness, connection, and creativity. Featuring stories by Guilia Scenna, Ying Wan, and Georgie Preston. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Whether powered by pixels or pure imagination, gaming offers players a way to forget the outside world. But when the stakes become real, is it really just a game? This week on The Yarn, we’re bringing you stories about the comforts and consequences of gaming, how it helps some players cope, and how it can leave others more drained than when they logged in. Featuring stories by Dylan Claringbold, Olivia Tan, and Bobbi Hewitt. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
For the third episode of Distraction, we explore the psychological benefits of hobbies — and investigate whether leisure time is divided equally. Featuring stories produced by Elliot Rodriguez, Molly Frew, James Worsfold, and Sarah Jensz. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
They say that if something is free online, then you’re the product. So are we controlling technology, or is it controlling us? This week on The Yarn, we’re bringing you stories from both sides of the spectrum. From the dangers of social media addiction, to harnessing technology as a tool for good. Featuring stories by Brandon Kearns, Ellen Cutler, Yuqi Zhao, and Yang Li. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
The first episode of our Distraction series is about wayward attention and the struggle to focus. This week, our producers navigate ADHD, limit screentime, and question whether the solution to distracting technology can come from technology itself. This series was made in collaboration with the Science Gallery for their new exhibition, which is open now. Today's stories were produced by Ricky Sproule, Shixin Wang, Yeting Gao, and Samuel Irvine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...
Exiled Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar says the Russia-Ukraine war is far from over. He believes Vladimir Putin is prolonging the conflict to fuel propaganda and silence critics. This week on The Yarn, we’re sharing Zygar’s 2025 AN Smith Lecture—Journalism Against Autocracy. Addressing a sold-out audience at Melbourne University, Zygar recounts covering Putin’s Russia for more than two decades. He also discusses attacks on press freedom, coming out as gay in a deeply homophobic society, and why...
Who do you think of when you think of an Australian pioneer? Maybe Fanny Finch, the first woman to vote in Australia, who was also a woman of colour. Or perhaps Rosaleen Norton, also known as the Witch of King's Cross. These are the trailblazers whose stories Dr Corey Martin is telling in her podcast, Maiden Australia. In this episode of News Bites, she discusses feminist approaches to storytelling and how podcasting can amplify marginalised voices. Show Notes Maiden Australia See omnystudio.com...
It’s been called “a win for the ages”. Anthony Albanese is Australia’s first prime minster to win consecutive terms in more than two decades. His landslide victory has left the Coalition reeling, especially in major cities like Melbourne. For the final episode of Voters’ Voices, we’re focusing on Melbourne’s swing towards Labor. We’re also revisiting the key themes of this series — marginal electorates, the youth vote, and civic disillusionment. Featuring reporting by Ashleigh Wyss, Preeshita Sh...
Ahead of Australia's federal election on May 3rd, we’re bringing you another episode of Voters’ Voices. This week we're focusing on Marginal Melbourne — the city’s most tightly-contested electorates. Our reporters investigated the seats on a knife’s-edge this year and the hot-button issues that could decide their futures. Featuring pieces by Ruby Perryman, Daniel Gawne, Ashleigh Wyss, and August Mikleus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
The latest Voters' Voices episode explores diverse voter perspectives ahead of Australia's federal election, focusing on how individuals navigate political engagement. It features discussions on holding politicians accountable, the conflict between business interests and personal values, and communal living as a remedy for social isolation. The episode also highlights grassroots campaigning efforts and provides insights into understanding the inherent uncertainties of election polling.
Ahead of Australia's federal election on May 3rd, we're launching a new series — Voters’ Voices. Episode one is all about what young voters really care about. Gen Z and millennial voters will outnumber baby boomers for the first time this year. It’s being called a cost-of-living election and our reporters investigated whether that’s true.They learned that young Australians feel poor, alienated, and not represented by major parties. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
After more than a decade apart, a disabled 14 year old in Indonesia will be reunited with his parents in Australia. Despite being born in Melbourne, Jonathan Lumintang was later denied residency due to his cerebral palsy. A ministerial intervention has allowed him to stay — but other families aren’t as lucky. Our student Kristian Oka Prasetyadi reported on this issue for The Citizen and the ABC. For today’s episode, The Yarn spoke to him about the family’s struggles, and Australia’s ableist migr...
Australia's first ever Christian terrorist attack — that's how Queensland police classified the 2022 mass shooting in the rural township of Wieambilla. This week, producer Kirralee Nicolle revisits the incident in detail. She explores how Christian fundamentalism can turn deadly, especially in tandem with online conspiracies and mental illness. This episode contains a high degree of violence and references to sexual assault. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Today we're focusing on the ties between the University of Melbourne and weapons manufacturers. While the University has downplayed these ties, our reporter James Costa has found it’s still pursuing new defence partnerships. In particular, the university is spruiking its forthcoming inner-city campus at Fisherman's Bend. The University’s behaviour during student protests last year has also come under scrutiny, particularly its use of wifi to surveil students; one critic is calling it "twenty-fir...
We’re continuing our centenary celebrations by revisiting highlights from our News Bites series. Over the last three years, we’ve featured more than 40 of Australia’s top journalism experts. These include newspaper editors, podcasters, war journalists, and our very own staff. Today you’ll hear some of their top tips for aspiring journalists, from making your first pitch to covering conflict zones. Thanks to Jeff Sparrow, Bernadette Nunn, Louisa Lim, and Sami Shah for conducting the interviews an...
Today marks the 100th episode of our award-winning student podcast, The Yarn. In the three years since we started, we’ve featured work from 151 emerging journalists and won the Climate Award at the Australian Podcast Awards. To celebrate our centenary, we’re revisiting the highlights from our environmental reporting. From the centre of a bee swam to a trip along the Murray River, we’re taking you to unexpected places. We're also airing the voices of young Australians as they muse over eco-anxiet...
Intimidated, lucky, chaotic: this is the emotional rollercoaster of the first days working in a newsroom. This episode is our survival guide to starting out in journalism, as delivered by three of our graduates. Gwen Liu from the Ballarat Courier, Harry Sekulich from the Daily Aus, and freelancer Wing Kuang speak to Senior Tutor Bernadette Nunn about how to survive and thrive when starting out in journalism. "The only way to do better is just by doing," says Harry, while Gwen's advice is simple,...
The Baillieu Library is the largest library here at the University of Melbourne. Walking through the library, the shelves are filled with books on everything from philosophy and history, to science and computing, all from a Western Eurocentric perspective. But the library also holds one of the largest collections of Rare East Asian books and materials in the Southern Hemisphere. Throughout this episode, Jiaxuan Zhu explores how knowledge has been built here at the University of Melbourne and ref...
After President-elect Donald Trump's landslide win and a federal election looming, Australian politicians have lessons to learn from the US election. The Yarn spoke to two US political analysts, on different sides of the political aisle, to get a breakdown of the Republicans' success. Tim Lynch is a professor of American politics at the University of Melbourne. Cory Alpert is a former Biden-Harris White House staffer, now a PhD student at the University of Melbourne. James Costa is a journalist ...
The Harry Brookes Allen Museum is one of many collections at the University of Melbourne. The University has collected artefacts that has contributed to a wealth of knowledge that is vital to Melbourne, Australia and the world. But the way University scholars collected these artefacts was not always done in an ethical way. Reporter Haoyue Deng learns how a rare marsupial mole is the key to the forgotten people behind some of the University's collections. INTERVIEWEES: Rohan Long, Curator of the ...
What would Australia look like if we had monkeys swinging around our cities? In the late 19th Century, a number of associations called “acclimatisation societies” sprung up across Australia with the goal of bringing familiar plants and animals to what the British colonists saw as an impoverished landscape. This episode explores the massive ecological transformation that shaped what the university’s environment looks like today, and how Indigenous knowledge about land preservation was ignored for...
The Old Quadrangle is one of the most photographed spots on the University of Melbourne campus, with students and tourists alike posing under its iconic archways. The romantic European architecture feels like you've been transported to the set of Hogwarts, but did you know that the stones used to create this effect were stolen from Indigenous lands in Tasmania? Reporter Giulia Scenna investigates the history of our campus's architecture and its relationship with Indigenous Australia. — Interview...
