Social Media
eSafety published kids’ cartoons on YouTube while lobbying to ban them from it
The eSafety Commissioner’s office has been quietly uploading children’s cartoons to YouTube, even as its boss pushes for kids to be kicked off the platform altogether.
The videos, created under Commissioner Julie Inman Grant’s watch, feature animated Aussie mascots teaching online safety, and were clearly designed to appeal to a young audience.
As Patrick Staveley writes for Sky News Australia, it’s a head-scratcher for critics, who argue that the regulator can’t have it both ways.
Reddit adds age checks in the UK as safety rules tighten
Reddit is rolling out age verification in the UK starting this week, aiming to keep under-18s from accessing mature content on the platform.
As Dearbail Jordan writes for the BBC, it’s the latest tech player to respond to the UK’s tough new Online Safety Act, which demands stricter checks on sites hosting adult material.
In a characteristically Reddit twist, the platform says it still doesn’t want to really know who its users are, just whether they’re kids or adults.
Legal
Nine hits back at contempt threat over Lattouf coverage
Nine’s legal team has pushed back at pro-Israel lobbyists in court, accusing them of using a suppression order to go after journalists and editors who reported on their involvement in Antoinette Lattouf’s case.
As James Dowling writes in The Australian, the accusations surfaced during a fiery final hearing in the Federal Court this week, as both sides locked horns over alleged contempt.
At issue are three articles published by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald that the complainants say breached a court order protecting their identities.
Gregg Wallace issues apology as MasterChef misconduct claims upheld
Gregg Wallace has broken his silence after 45 allegations about his behaviour on MasterChef were upheld, saying he is “deeply sorry for any distress” caused.
As Noor Nanji and Felicity Baker repot for the BBC, the longtime presenter has released a statement saying he “never set out to harm or humiliate” anyone.
The report followed a BBC News investigation and found 83 complaints in total, with over half upheld.
AI
Meta ramps up AI arms race with mega data centres for ‘superintelligence’
Mark Zuckerberg is going big on AI… like, hundreds-of-billions big.
In a Threads post this week, the Meta CEO revealed plans to build a fleet of super-sized data centres to chase what he calls “superintelligence,” a term that’s quickly becoming Silicon Valley’s latest obsession.
As Reuters Jaspreet Singh and Aditya Soni report, the company’s first mega-site, Prometheus, is set to go live in 2026.
Television
Nine ramps up Stan hires ahead of Premier League kick-off
Nine is quietly staffing up at Stan as it gears up to launch its English Premier League coverage next month. More than a dozen new roles are already in market, with even more hires expected in the lead-up to kick-off.
Former Optus Sport exec Howard Rees is among those tipped to join the team, as Nine leans on experienced football hands to shape its strategy.
As John Buckley writes in Capital Brief, programming plans are still being finalised, but the push signals a serious play to compete with established sports streamers.
BBC admits major misstep in Gaza doc investigation
BBC director general Tim Davie has acknowledged a “significant failing” in the making of Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, after an internal probe found the documentary breached editorial standards on accuracy.
The issue? Viewers weren’t told that the 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.
But as Michael Savage details in The Guardian, while the investigation cleared the program of breaches around impartiality and influence, it found the production team dropped the ball by not asking key questions, particularly around context and transparency.
Radio
Dave Cameron to exit Southern Cross Austereo
After more than 30 years at the helm, Southern Cross Austereo’s (SCA) Chief Content Officer Dave Cameron, will be leaving the company.
The announcement was made by SCA CEO John Kelly in an email sent to all staff on Monday afternoon.
In the email, which was obtained by Mediaweek, Kelly acknowledged Cameron’s decades-long contribution to the company, praising a career that spans more than 30 years and multiple roles across the network.
Publishing
Scholastic eyes YouTube and restructuring in bid to bounce back
Scholastic, the publishing house behind Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Clifford the Big Red Dog, is in full-blown turnaround mode.
As Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg reports in The Wall Street Journal, the company’s share price has been down over 40 percent in the past year and pressure mounting from activist investors, the kids’ publishing giant is looking to restructure and rethink, fast.
Part of the plan? A push into YouTube and digital content, plus a cash-raising play that includes selling and leasing back its Manhattan HQ and major distribution centres.
Retail
Country Road trims Sydney footprint as sales slump continues
Country Road is shutting down several high-profile Sydney stores as its South African parent company Woolworths tightens the purse strings.
The retailer’s flagship QVB location is on the chopping block, alongside sister brand Trenery’s Mosman store, with Pitt Street Mall to follow in 2028 when its lease wraps up.
As Cameron Micallef details on news.com.au, the closures come after a brutal sales stretch for the once-dominant Aussie label. Revenue dropped 6.2 percent in the first half of FY25, followed by another 8 percent slide to the end of December.
Entertainment
First look at HBO Max’s new Harry Potter
Production has begun on the highly-anticipated, much-hyped Harry Potter TV series. Filming began today at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in the east of England, the same studio that was home to the filming of all of the previous Harry Potter films.
The show has been confirmed to debut in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max. Filming on the first season is expected to last until autumn 2026 (the UK spring) before resuming production on season 2 after a short break.
There will be no speculation on what new star Dominic McLaughlin will look like as the titular boy wizard, with HBO revealing a first-look photo of him in costume.