Journalism
Lyons says Trump ‘dobbed’ him in
The ABC’s John Lyons has put pen to paper (or fingertip to keyboard) detailing his now infamous interaction with Donald Trump, after the US President lashed out at him during a press conference.
In this piece for the broadcaster, Lyons framed Trump’s reaction as evidence of a political climate where division and hostility are not just background noise but the strategy itself.
Lyons insists he kept his questioning respectful and focused on what everyday Australians might want to know: how a sitting president amasses wealth while in office.
ABC loses digital content chief amid restructure
Angela Stengel has wrapped up a 17-year run at the ABC, most recently as Head of Digital Content and Innovation.
In a LinkedIn post, she reflected on helping steer the broadcaster through major shifts, from podcasts to social media, while also leading projects like ABC Listen, the Creator Program and ABC Queer.
According to TV Blackbox’s Kevin Perry, her exit comes as the broadcaster prepares for another shake-up under managing director Hugh Marks.
Seven parts ways with sports anchor
The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie reports that Seven has confirmed long-time sports anchor Matt Carmichael will leave the network after 23 years, with management informing him of the decision earlier this week.
His final shift will come after next month’s Bathurst 1000.
News boss Ray Kuka told staff Carmichael would be remembered as a “script craftsman” and thanked him for his two decades of reporting.
Legal
Late appeal filed in Reynolds defamation case
Brittany Higgins has filed a last-minute appeal against the defamation ruling in favour of Linda Reynolds, delaying payment of $340,000 in damages and costs that could reach $2m.
The Australian’s Stephen Rice reports the appeal landed on the same day her lawyers accepted a bankruptcy notice from Reynolds.
The move stalls Reynolds’ efforts to access a protective trust linked to Higgins’ $2.4m government payout, though the grounds for appeal remain unspecified.
Social Media
Roblox flagged in social media crackdown
As Canberra prepares to roll out its social media restrictions, Roblox has landed in the spotlight for letting kids access unmoderated social apps hidden inside games.
The Sydney Morning Herald’s Emily Kowal writes that experts warn the loophole effectively sidesteps regulation and risks exposing young players to unfiltered content.
The concern is that these in-game tools mimic mainstream apps without the oversight that usually comes with them.
Podcasting
Aussie show the pulling power of podcasts
Australian podcasters Toni Lodge and Ryan Jon Dunn continue to prove their global pull, with fans flying in from across Europe for a birthday party they announced with less than a day’s notice.
As Michael Lallo writes in The Sydney Morning Herald, the London pub meet-up drew more than 1000 people, far beyond the 15 they thought might show.
For the pair, the realisation hit hard: those download numbers translate into real people who’ll jump on planes just to connect.
AI
Google DeepMind pushes AI closer to human-level reasoning
The Guardian’s Robert Booth writes that Google DeepMind’s Gemini 2.5 has become the first AI to win a gold medal at an international programming contest, cracking a puzzle that stumped human teams in Azerbaijan.
The model solved the problem in under 30 minutes and ranked second overall out of 139 competitors. Google says it’s a step “towards AGI,” or human-level intelligence across tasks.
DeepMind VP Quoc Le called it a landmark on par with chess and Go breakthroughs, but with bigger implications for science and engineering.
Vale
Roger Climpson remembered as TV legend
The much-loved host of This Is Your Life and long-time Seven News anchor, has died aged 93.
From early days at Nine in the 1950s to decades at Seven, plus stints on 2GB and Australia’s Most Wanted, Climpson became a constant in Australian broadcasting.
Awarded an OAM in 2004, he is remembered for his versatility, warmth and lasting impact on the nation’s media.