Media
Supreme Court weighs bid to reveal journalist’s confidential source
A fight over source protection has reached the Victorian Supreme Court, with XYZ pushing to force The Australian’s Victorian editor Damon Johnston to name the person who leaked material from a draft IBAC report into past dealings between the Andrews government and the United Firefighters Union.
XYZ says they need the identity of the source, known as CS1, to pursue potential breach of confidence and privacy claims.
Johnston argues the reporting was in the public interest and the source should remain protected.
Sky News prepares for its quiet move into Holt Street
The Sydney Morning Herald’s Calum Jaspan reports that Sky News is getting ready to fire up its new studios inside News Corp’s Holt Street headquarters, with the first broadcasts tipped for early December.
The shift brings the operation closer to the centre of the Surry Hills machine and signals a fresh chapter for the channel.
Ita Buttrose shares blunt immigration views during memoir tour
The Guardian’s Amanda Meade writes that while speaking in an online conversation with Professor Henry Brodaty from the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, the former ABC chair reflected on the social mood since stepping down in March 2024.
Buttrose said Australia feels more divided than it once was and questioned how well the country’s multicultural model is functioning.
Social Media
US giants push Trump to challenge Australia’s digital rules
A group of powerful US media and tech companies is urging President Donald Trump to lean on Australia over its latest digital regulations, which include new TV production requirements and the under-16 social media ban.
According to Jessica Gardner in The Australian Financial Review, Netflix, Disney, Meta and Alphabet are among the players arguing the rules unfairly hit American platforms.
Legal
Alan Jones brings in top lawyers as case progresses
The Australian’s Steve Zemek report the former broadcaster has formally enlisted a high-profile legal team as his indecent assault case moves ahead in the Downing Centre.
Barrister Gabrielle Bashir SC appeared for him for the first time on Thursday, alongside long-time solicitors Chris Murphy and Bryan Wrench.
AI
Yann LeCun exits Meta to chase his next big AI swing
One of the original heavyweights of modern AI is making a dramatic pivot.
The BBC’s Liv McMahon writes that fresh off receiving an honour from King Charles at St James’s Palace, Meta’s long-time chief AI scientist Yann LeCun has announced he is leaving the company to launch a new venture built around his vision of what he calls advanced machine intelligence.
Companies
WBD prepares for takeover offers as Casey Bloys keeps calm
Warner Bros. Discovery is expecting formal takeover offers this week, with Paramount tipped as a frontrunner.
It is the kind of moment that usually rattles Hollywood executives, especially with David Ellison reshaping Paramount’s creative ranks.
But as Alex Weprin, Caitlin Huston report in The Hollywood Reporter, HBO and Max chief Casey Bloys is not buying into the panic.