Publishing
Former board member claims hypocrisy over AWW
The Adelaide Writers’ Week saga refuses to quietly leave the stage.
According to Tim Douglas in The Australian, former board member Tony Berg has now accused ex-director Louise Adler of free-speech hypocrisy, arguing that her current rhetoric clashes with how decisions were made when he was inside the tent.
In a letter to the publication, Berg said he resigned from the AWW board last year after what he describes as a push to cancel an invitation to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas Friedman.
He also took aim at Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, accusing both figures of backing free speech only when it suits.
Meanwhile…
The fallout has now escalated into legal territory.
Crikey’s Daanyal Saeed writes that Dr Abdel-Fattah has issued South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas with a concerns notice, claiming his public remarks implied she was an extremist sympathiser and linked her to the Bondi attack.
Abdel-Fattah confirmed on Instagram that the notice of concern has now been sent, marking the first formal step toward potential defamation action.
Media
FBI raid on journalist rattles Washington press corps
A rare and jarring move out of Washington.
As Michael Koziol reports in The Sydney Morning Herald, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has raided the home of a working journalist, seizing devices as part of an investigation into leaked classified material.
US Attorney-General Pam Bondi said the warrant targeted a reporter accused of obtaining classified material from a Pentagon contractor, with The Washington Post later identifying the journalist as Hannah Natanson, who covers the Trump administration.
SXSW Sydney axed after NSW Government pulls funding
We’re learning a little bit more today about the decision to cancel SXSW Sydney.
As Emma McGrath-Cohen reports in The Australian Financial Review, the call to pull the plug came after the NSW Government completed a review of the event.
A spokesperson for Destination NSW confirmed that the government’s decision to end funding beyond 2025 caused the collapse.
AI
Matthew McConaughey trademarks himself to fight AI fakes
Alright, alright, alright.
The infamous naked bongo-playing Oscar winner has found a very on-brand way to deal with the rise of dodgy AI replicas.
As Ben Fritz reports in The Washington Post, instead of chasing deepfakes after the fact, the actor is moving upstream and locking down his own likeness through trademark law.
Bandcamp bans AI music to keep platform human
Big moves from the platform, which has drawn a clear line in the sand on artificial intelligence.
Digital Music News’ Ashley King reports the artist-first platform has officially banned AI-generated audio and music, shutting the door on synthetic tracks masquerading as creative output.
The announcement came via a low-key Reddit post from Bandcamp Support, later backed up by a blog statement spelling out the philosophy behind the move.