Aussie media made to wear 'Fake News' lanyards to enter Brisbane conference

The October 2026 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) was held in Brisbane last weekend. It's now emerged that the Aussie media attending the event were forced to wear lanyards that read ‘Fake News’, as reported by The Australian.

It's reportedly the second year in a row that the media has only been granted entry on the condition of wearing the lanyard, which carries the phrase made notorious by Donald Trump.

They were intended to be a warning/threat to journalists to report news ‘straight’; that is, favourably.

Reporters were told in Brisbane about the lanyards, which also bore their names, “You need to keep this on for security reasons." 

The move is in line with conservative leaders such as One Nation's Pauline Hanson recently banning some outlets, such as The Guardian and the ABC, from attending media events over accusations of ‘bias’.

READ MORE: Pauline Hanson follows through on banning threats to the Guardian and the ABC

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Karl Stefanovic hosts CPAC 2026 conference

The conference was hosted by controversial media identity Karl Stefanovic, who this year has emerged as a conservative identity.

It was protested by hundreds in a rally outside the event, who oppose right wing politics, and attracted a large police presence.

Speakers included Hanson and conservative politicians Barnaby Joyce and Angus Taylor.