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Under President Viktor Orbán, Hungary has seen increasingly illiberal laws and policies put in place in recent years, raising the alarm for democracy and human rights advocates, and drawing sharp criticism from the EU. New laws make it illegal to show representations of non-heterosexuality and transgenderism in schools, films and ads where a minor might see them. They’ve drawn sharp criticism, with the Dutch prime minister saying Hungary should respect LGBTQIA+ rights, or leave the EU. This is a report I did for JOY’s The Informer which aired July 9, 2021.

During the coronavirus lockdown, broadcast TV has experienced a surge in viewership for the first time in years.

As people have settled on the couch and trying to stave off boredom, they seem to have rediscovered the TV function on the screen they
mostly use these days to watch streaming services.

And one of the most popular programs is the news.
Dom Hennequin has more.

If you’ve listened to a podcast, you’ve heard it.

Ira Glass uses it, which means pretty much every other podcaster in the world uses it.

It’s called “vocal fry”, the technique of deepening your voice to its lowest register, producing an intimate, croaky style of speaking that some people love and some hate.

But while it’s become a trope of podcasting that’s often parodied, some women have found it to be a barrier to being taken seriously.

Here’s more.

Lisa Millar is a well-known journalist with the ABC and currently presents ABC News Breakfast with Michael Rowland. She sat down with me to talk about interviewing think tanks in Australia, how she prepares and why they deserve to have a voice in the media no matter their agenda.

This episode I talk to Political Editor for Buzzfeed Australia, Mark Di Stefano. Mark started his career at the ABC making tea for newsreader Juanita Phillips, eventually going on to become its Darwin Correspondent. In his time at Buzzfeed he’s had a Twitter feud with Leigh Sales, exposed Mark Latham as the man behind the abusive @RealMarkLatham Twitter account, and has seen the publisher become one of the most important voices in news.

You can follow Mark on Twitter @MarkDiStef

Today on the show, why Apple can’t innovate.

Plus, award-winning journalist Josh Taylor from Crikey.com.au. We’ll be talking politics including the Turnbull government’s current woes and “The Road to Ruin” the book by Nikki Savva about Tony Abbott’s downfall as prime minister, making the transition from tech reporter to political reporter, who are the better liars, politicians or entrepreneurs, and I ask who his preferred prime minister is. Malcolm Turnbull or Kevin Rudd?

This episode’s guest is journalist Jeremy Story Carter. Jeremy previously worked as a regional reporter for the ABC in Bunbury, Western Australia, and he’s now based in Melbourne working for Radio National where he recently completed an Australian music series called “I’m Here Now”. He was previously Melbourne editor of music news website Fasterlouder and in this interview we talk about how he got from there to the ABC, the current state of music journalism, and why he doesn’t think his journalism degree was very useful.

Musician James Seymour, the man behind the solo project Feelds and lead singer of Swim Season sits down with Dom to talk the pros and cons of working solo vs working with a band, writing music for films and commercials, his go to pair of shoes, his favourite watch brand, and what app he likes to use on the toilet.

School of Life, the brainchild of British philosopher Alain de botton produces books, workshops and even cups of coffee that aim to help us develop our emotional intelligence.

In a very special episode, we sit down with its Australian Director Kaj Lofgren to talk about how the company is popularising philosophy, adding integrity to enterprise and big business, and helping people escape dogma and lead fulfilling lives.